Lifetime of Love
by XxTartLoverxX
Summary: When Stephanie's relationships with Joe and Ranger end, a new man steps up to the plate. Could this be the happily ever after she needs or is this just another disappointment. Read along and find out! Tart story, but Joe and Ranger are left unhurt. Stephanie gets to play with a Merry Man. Rated M for language and smut in later chapters. First chapter fan-fic, so be nice! : )
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Characters do not belong to me, except the one's you don't recognize. JE gets the credit for creating such an amazing cast of characters for me to play with. I'm not making any money from my ramblings either.

This is not a Babe or a Cupcake story. Both men will be present in this story, but are not made out to be villains. Stephanie gets to play with a Merry Man for a while. This is rated M for language and smut later on. : )

I want to thank my Beta for this story, Rangergirl1234. Without her wonderful help and guidance, you all would be reading dribble. I hope you all enjoy!

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 1**

My life sucks. I can't believe that I let it get to this point. What the hell happened to me? I didn't always used to be this pathetic. I used to be outgoing, crazy, enthusiastic, pretty, happy, goal oriented, and I had a career that I loved. I used to be unstoppable. I used to be Stephanie Michelle Plum, lingerie buyer extraordinaire. I loved my job, I had friends, I had dates with guys who found me desirable. I went out and sung karaoke on Friday nights. I was fun to be around. Now...I'm just pathetic. I'm in a slump and have been for quite some time.

My life started to go down hill when I met and married Dickie Orr. He was a lawyer and I thought I would be happy with him. Once we got married, I stopped going out with my friends. I tried to be the "house wife" that Dickie wanted, but I failed. My marriage lasted a whopping 5 weeks. I came home from work early one day to find my new husband banging the town slut on my freshly waxed dining room table. Needless to say, the marriage was over. Our divorce is still talked about in Trenton, my hometown. It was one for the record books.

After my failed marriage, I tried to get back into my single life but didn't have the heart for it anymore. I had my job and that was fine with me. Then I lost my job. I got fired when the company went out of business. So now my pathetic life gets even worse. I had to move out of my posh apartment in Newark to a tiny place not too far way from my parents. I lived off my savings while I tried to find a job, but couldn't find anything. My car got repossessed and I was about to be kicked out of my crap apartment. I refused to be reduced to moving back in with my parents so I was desperate to find work. Here's where my life takes another down turn.

My cousin Vinnie owns a Bail Bonds office and he was looking for a file clerk, so I went to talk to him. Come to find out that the file clerk position was filled, but I learned from his office manager, Connie, that he needed a bond enforcement agent, or a bounty hunter. I was willing to do anything to keep from losing my apartment so I blackmailed Vinnie into the job. It's good that I had some major dirt on him.

My first file was Joseph Morelli. Shoot me in the face now! Joe and I had been in and out of each others lives since we were kids. We played a very adult version of choo-choo when I was six and he was eight. I should have never followed him into that garage, but live and learn. You would think after that experience that I would stay away from him. I didn't, and at age sixteen, he talked me out of my virginity on the floor of the bakery where I worked. After we were finished with the humiliating experience, he walked out of my life. He left soon after for the Navy, but left me a goodbye present before he left town. Poems detailing what happened at the Tasty Pastry were written in bathrooms across town. Thanks a lot, ass!

The next time I saw Joe Morelli was two years later. I got to see him bounce off the hood of my dad's Buick as I ran him over. It was a good reunion for me, but not for Joe. I guess my little welcome back present broke his leg. Oops! Joe and I stayed away from each other after that. It was easy because I was living and working in Newark and he was in Trenton working as a cop. Fate brought us together once again. Joe was arrested for murder and skipped out on his bail and I was charged with bringing him back to jail. Not an easy task, let me tell you. BUT, I did it and thus started my new relationship with Joe Morelli.

We dated off and on for the past three years. Joe was looking for a wife and mother for his children, I was just looking for good sex. We tried to make it work, but we both finally gave up about a month ago. After a very long and very emotional talk we both decided to walk away friends. I love Joe, and I know that he loves me, but sometimes love isn't enough. He wants me to be something that I'm not willing to be right now. It was hard to walk away, but we did the right thing.

The other man in my life was Ricardo Carlos Manoso. He goes by the street name Ranger, but I call him Batman. He's dark and mysterious and doesn't let anyone get close to him. He started out as my mentor when I first became a bounty hunter. He owns his own security company and is really good at this BEA stuff. He's showed me the ropes and helped me whenever I needed it. Our relationship quickly turned from teacher/student, to friends, and then eventually to lovers.

Ranger is sex on legs and I was amazed that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. We shared some amazing nights together, but sadly that is all we will ever share. Ranger doesn't "do" relationships. He has told me on more than one occasion that the only place for me in his life is in his bed. Sounds good right?

I thought so too, and I tried to do the casual sex with Ranger after Joe and I called it quits. Problem is, I love Ranger. I'm hopelessly IN love with Ranger and I can't emotionally distance myself from him when I'm staying in his bed. So after about three weeks of hot and heavy sex, I told him that it wasn't working. I was brutally honest with him about my feelings. I begged him to give us a chance, but he just wouldn't do it. Apparently he loves me too much to put a target on my back. He thinks his life is too dangerous.

Since I couldn't do the sex anymore, we called our pseudo relationship quits and went back to just friends. Walking away from Ranger was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I know that he loves me, but he's just unwilling to give me what I need. Hmmm...sounds familiar.

So here I am, in a terrible slump. My job sucks. I'm still bringing in skips for Vinnie, but I'm not very good at it. I have the instincts, or so Ranger says, but I have terrible luck during the "takedown". I'm constantly rolling in garbage or other unmentionable substances. I'm the laughingstock of the Trenton Police Department. My auto insurance is outrageously high because of all the cars that I've sent to the junkyard. Bad car karma seems to follow me. I don't know how it happens, but I've destroyed more vehicles than a weekend at the monster truck rally. It's pathetic.

My job isn't the only thing pathetic. My mom is on a rampage about me and Joe breaking up. She claims that he was my last hope for a happily ever after. She wants me to be married with kids. She doesn't listen when I tell her that I don't want her life. She's happy that way, but I know I wouldn't be.

I've been staying away from her for a while now. I make excuses when she invites me to dinner. She is trying to find me a new Joe and keeps inviting single guys over to share dinner with her, my dad and grandma. I got tricked into a few of those horrible dinners before I stopped going over there altogether. I think I'm done with men for a while. Can you blame me?

The last two that I've been in love with haven't been the best experiences. I wasn't good enough for either one of them. Joe wanted to change me into someone else and Ranger didn't love me enough to make our relationship work. It's okay. I am happy being alone. Denial is my friend.

SO...back to my pathetic life. I'm currently laying on my bed staring at my ceiling. It's Valentine's Day, and I have zero plans. Not even a hint of a date. I let out a sigh and go back to my self-proclaimed pity party. I tried setting up a girls night out with Connie and Lula, but they both have dates. Lula and Tank, Ranger's second in command and best friend, have been dating again and were going out to dinner tonight with a group of guys from RangeMan. Connie was dating an accountant and they had plans tonight too. I was the only one of my group of friends that didn't have anything going on.

I knew about the RangeMan group date. Lester Santos is one of the core members and partner in the business. He has been a really good friend to me the past couple of months and told me about the plans for tonight. He and some of the other guys have the back room reserved at a romantic restaurant in New York. They even rented a Hummer Limo to drive everyone around. There were six of the guys going with their dates tonight. Last I heard Ranger was even going with a girl he met while surveying a new clients building. I didn't expect him to stay single for long, but it hurts that he was able to move on so quickly.

I felt the first tear fall and closed my eyes to stop the flood from falling out of my eyes. I hated to cry. It made me feel weak and made me look ugly. Two things that I hate with a passion. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop it tonight. I was too busy thinking about my life and crying over stupid men to hear the locks click open on my front door. It wasn't until I felt a presence in my bedroom that I had any clue that someone else was here.

I sat up quickly to see Ranger leaning on the door jamb. He was wearing a gorgeous Armani suit. He looked incredibly sexy and sadly he wasn't mine. He had a date tonight, so why the hell was he here?

"Can I help you with something?" Spiteful Stephanie was talking right now. I'm not sure where she came from, but she wasn't going away anytime soon.

"Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay, Babe." I scoffed and plopped back down onto my bed. Why does he pretend to care?

"I'm fine, Ranger. Enjoy your date." I felt the tears swell in my eyes. I heard him sigh and then cross the room to sit on the bed beside me. He reached a hand out to wipe the tears off my face but I pulled away before he could touch me.

"What do you want from me, Ranger?" I stood up off the bed and glared at him. I was done being the yo-yo in his games. The constant push-pull that he does with me is making me crazy, and it was going to end.

"I understand that you don't want me. I understand that I'm not good enough for you, but please don't torture me. You know how I feel about you and having you here right now when you're going out with someone else is killing me. Please just go and enjoy your night." I saw the pain in his eyes, but it was quickly masked.

"You have no idea how much I want you, but you are the one that said I can't have you. Don't get pissed at me for your choices." Ranger stood and started to approach me, but stopped when I held up my hand.

"You only want my body. I can't give you that and protect my heart. I love you too damn much. It's all or nothing. You've made your choice, and I have to learn to live with it. Please just give me time to learn how to deal with this." I was pleading for him to go. I couldn't stand to see him all dressed up for another woman. We stared at each other for a few seconds before he nodded and his blank mask slammed into place.

"As you wish, Babe." He got close enough to kiss my forehead and then walked out of my room. The last thing I heard before he slammed the front door was a tense, "Happy Valentine's Day."

Yeah, happy fucking Valentine's. I collapsed back onto the bed and cried. What a wonderful freaking holiday this has turned out to be. I never used to be this dependent on someone to make me happy. I used to be content with myself and found joy in doing things for me. Where had that person gone? Where had the fun, frisky, adventurous Stephanie Plum disappeared to, and who is this crying mess that is here now? I was tired of this shit. It's time to get my life back. It's time to stop being so damn pathetic and it's time to start living again. It starts tonight.

I rolled off of bed and decided to go out for the evening. Just because I'm single doesn't mean I can't have fun. I was going to get sexed up and go dancing. Maybe even find a new guy to have some fun with. It was time for the old Stephanie to come out of hiding.

I spent an hour showering, shaving, plucking, buffing, and waxing. I needed a distraction from the men who have recently vacated my life, so I was going out to find someone to fill some of my needs. I wasn't looking for Mr. Right, just Mr. Right Now.

I found the sexiest dress in my closest and put it on with thigh highs and my best pair of fuck-me-pumps. I pinned my hair up and left a few curls falling around my face. I went light on the make-up and was ready to go. I took one last look in the mirror and decided that I looked damn good. I felt like I did back in my college days and was looking forward to having some fun.

I took a cab to the hottest club in Trenton. I knew RangeMan was doing security tonight so I felt safe going there. I've worked for Ranger off and on and have become close to the guys that work for him. I call them my Merry Men. They have protected me and become much more to me than just friends. I love each of them in different ways, and I would do just about anything for them. They are a great group of guys who don't seem to think they deserve to be treated respectfully.

Most of them have had bad luck with women and have recently decided that it's just not worth it to keep dating. Les told me one night that most women that he's interested in are either scared of him or only interested in him because of the money that he makes. It's sad and I'm trying to help them see just how great of guys they truly are.

When I stepped out of the cab, I sighed at the line of people waiting patiently to get in. I glanced at the bouncer at the door and recognized him as one of my Merry Men. I smiled and knew I was getting in that door soon. Once he saw me, his mouth dropped and his eyes bugged out. I knew I looked damn good.

"Ms. Plum?" Good lord, why did the Ms. have to come out? It makes me feel old.

"Zip, how many times have I told you. It's Steph. No, Ms." I decided to flirt to make damn sure I got inside. I slid up close to him to close his mouth with my finger then trailed it down his jaw and neck. He smiled at me and removed the rope for me to enter. I stood up and kissed him on the cheek and entered the club. I heard the groans from the people standing in line, but I didn't care. I was only thinking about myself tonight.

Once inside the club, I stopped for a minute to let my eyes adjust to the lighting. There were people everywhere. The bar was packed and so was the dance floor. I finally found an empty stool at the bar and plopped my sexy ass down. I ordered a Malibu Rum and Diet Coke. Yum!

It didn't take long for the vultures to start circling. It seemed like they came from every direction. I danced with so many random men. Never the same one twice. Many of them were sexy and obviously interested in me, but not one of them even peaked an interest with me. They just weren't up to the caliber that I am used to. After sleeping with Joe Morelli and Ranger, you have some pretty high standards.

I decided to take a break from dancing so I was sitting at the bar again nursing another drink. I felt someone come up behind me close and lean into me a little bit. I could feel the heat radiating off them and could feel their breath on the top of my head. I recognized the smell as one of the Merry Men, but I couldn't place which one. I slowly turned around to see Zero standing there.

Now, all of the guys who work for Ranger are sexy as hell. I think it's part of the job requirements or something. All of them are muscled and all of them look dangerous. Zero was no different. He was around 5'11" and, per RangeMan protocol, had the body of a Greek God. His skin was a few shades darker than mine from spending time outside in the sun. His dark brown hair was short on the sides and longer on the top, styled into sexy spikes. His hazel eyes were gorgeous and they sparkled when he was joking around. My favorite part of this man though was his crooked smile. The left side of his mouth crooked up when he was smiling and it made me weak in the knees to see it on him now.

He was wearing the standard RangeMan uniform and his tight T-shirt exposed his muscled tattooed arms. I wondered where else he had tattoos and tried to picture the rest of his unclothed body. He was smiling that sexy smile at me and I suddenly felt very flirtatious. I blame the alcohol.

"Hey sexy, what brings you here?" I smiled sexily and sucked on my straw in my drink. I can work a straw like a pro so I watched his smile disintegrate. His eyes were fixed on my mouth and what it was doing. I chuckled as he shook himself out of his stupor.

"Uh...I was just going to ask you if you're having fun. I watched you dance with about every guy here." There was a flash of something in his eyes, but in my inebriated state I didn't recognize it.

"Well, I'm just a single girl trying to have some fun. Nothing wrong with that, is there?" I smiled again and set my drink down. Another guy began to approach me, but turned away when he noticed the glare he was getting from Zero.

"Thanks for that! I think I'm done for the night. I guess I'm not going to find the distraction I was looking for." I laughed trying to make joke, but the disappointment in my voice was clear and the I couldn't stop the sadness from creeping into my eyes. Zero noticed both of them.

"No problem. I'm off in about forty minutes. Will you wait for me to finish my shift? I'd like to take you home." He smiled that crooked sexy smile and I knew I would wait for him.

"Sure. I can dance to a few more songs." Zero tucked a curl behind my ear and turned to head back to his post by the back door. I watched his ass as he walked away and had to wipe the drool from my face.

I didn't know too much about Zero, but he was one of Ranger's guys so I knew that I could trust him. I caught him watching me as I danced with a few different guys. It was like he couldn't take his eyes off me and he didn't look happy when the guys hands started to wander below the boundary line.

I recognized Hal walk up to him and them do the stupid handshake thing that they all know how to do but I'll never comprehend. Zero crooked his finger at me in the "come here" motion and I left the loser I was dancing with to join him at the back door. He paid my tab for me and then with a goodbye to Hal, we were outside. He led me to his RangeMan SUV and helped me into the front seat. He seemed nervous when he got into the driver's seat.

"Steph, will you have dinner with me? I mean...I know it's late, but I haven't eaten and I know you are always in the mood for food." I should be offended, but I wasn't. I was actually really hungry and what better company to have dinner with than a Merry Man?

"I would love to." I smiled at him and we took off toward a nearby diner. Just what I needed - greasy burger, fries and dessert!

Zero and I sat together in a back booth and placed our orders. Neither of us quite knew what to say, so we remained silent for a while. I've never been one to ignore my curiosity so I had to ask the question that was plaguing me.

"So, you don't have plans for the rest of the night? I thought you had a girlfriend. Won't she be mad if you're out with me?" Once I saw the pain in his eyes, I knew I asked the wrong question. Les had told me about him and his girlfriend getting serious. The guys even had a pool on the proposal date.

"Megan broke up with me last week. Apparently I wasn't what she wanted." Well I feel like shit now.

"I'm so sorry, Zero. I didn't know that. Well, if you want my honest opinion; it's her loss. You deserve someone better." He smiled a little, but I could still see the pain in his eyes.

"What are you doing all alone on V-day? I figured you would be out with the group in New York. I thought Ranger was going with them." I laughed. The guys all thought that Ranger and I had a "serious" relationship. If they only knew the truth.

"No. Ranger took someone else and I wasn't asked to go." I tried not to sound bitter, but by the look on his face I think I failed.

"Damn! I'm sorry Steph. I thought you and the boss man were seeing each other."

"Nope. Sex was all I got from the boss man. He wasn't willing to give me more and I couldn't settle for just that anymore. I ended our sex only relationship and now he's out with someone else." I let out a long sigh and hung my head. "The man I love is out on a date and I went to a bar to find a cheap replacement for him. How fucked up is that?"

I blame the alcohol once again for my blunt truthfulness. The shocked look on Zero's face was priceless and I started to laugh, and once I started laughing I couldn't stop. The laughing soon turned to tears and then before I knew it, I was sobbing.

Zero moved to my side of the booth and took me into his arms and let me cry into his well muscled chest. He stroked my hair and whispered calming words into my ear. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I picked up on idiot and stupid enough that I guessed he was talking about Ranger.

Once I got myself under control he let me go and moved back to his side of the booth. Our food was delivered and we fell into comfortable silence to enjoy our food. I was just about finished when I felt I need to say something to him.

"Thank you for letting me fall apart on you. I thought I was okay when I left my apartment, but I guess I'm not." He took my hand that was lying on the table and squeezed it with his warm hand.

"It's okay, Steph. I could tell something was up at the bar. You didn't look happy and that's not the Bomber that I know." I smiled at him and cocked my head to the side.

"How are we alone? I mean we're attractive, fun, kindhearted people and yet here we are alone on the most romantic holiday of the year." I was honestly curious. Zero laughed and shrugged.

"I don't know about you, but if spending time with you is considered 'being alone' then I am happy about my current relationship status." He smiled at me and my heart sped up. Was he flirting?

I smiled back and finished my burger. We continued to chat about everything. His job, my job, old relationships, plans for the future, our families. We sat there for hours after our dinner was done and just talked. I learned everything there is to know about him.

He grew up in California. His parents divorced when he and his younger brother got out of high school. They are both happily remarried now. He showed me pictures of his brother and two half-sisters. His brother lives in Oregon and is married to his high school girlfriend. Their first child is due to be born later this year. His half-sisters live with his dad and are still in school.

He joined the army after he graduated and met Ranger, Les, Tank, and Bobby on a mission about five years ago. He joined RangeMan when his time in the military was over and never looked back.

I couldn't believe all the information that he was sharing with me. All the guys at RangeMan knew my life story like the back of their hand and most are too scared to open themselves up to me, but not Zero. We laughed and talked until our voices were hoarse.

"What's your real name? I feel like I know so much about you, but I don't know what to call you other than Zero." He smiled and shook his head.

"I've been called Zero for so long that I don't usually answer to my real name. I was born Allen Noah Wilson, but I went by Zero growing up. My dad's name is Allen too, so it was just easier to go by the nick name or my middle name."

"Can I call you Noah?" I asked tentatively. He smiled brightly at me.

"I would be honored if you called me Noah. Can I call you something other than Steph or Bomber?" I was shocked that he asked. Most of the guys called me by different pet names. I was Beautiful to Les. Angel to Cal. Angelita to Hector. All the rest of the guys called me either Bombshell or Bomber and of course Ranger called me Babe. I was impressed that he asked permission.

"What nickname are you choosing? I have so many to pick from." I laughed.

"How about I call you, Breá." I looked at him confused. I didn't recognize the language, but liked the way he said it.

"What does it mean?" He looked away from me and then smiled.

"Once you figure that out, come find me and we'll talk." I liked a good challenge. I smiled back at him and nodded enthusiastically.

"Challenge accepted!" Zero smiled and shook his head. We decided that it was time to go and he paid the bill and escorted me out to the car. We drove to my apartment chatting the entire way. I thought we would run out of things to talk about eventually, but that didn't happen.

Once we got to my apartment, Zero escorted me up to my door and did a security sweep to make sure there were no big bad monsters inside. He stopped in front of me before he walked out of the door.

"I had a great time tonight, Breá. I wasn't counting on having fun when I heard that I had to work tonight, but now I'm glad that I drew the short straw for V-day duty." He smiled and tucked a curl behind my ear. I found myself wanting to keep his hand there. I wanted him to stay longer, but knew I wasn't ready for that kind of problem yet. I was attracted to him, but I knew Ranger would have a whole herd of cows if he found out he stayed here.

"I had a great time too. Thank you for everything, Noah." I stretched up and placed a kiss on his cheek and then touched the same place with my finger tip.

"It was my pleasure, trust me." He smiled, kissed my forehead and then walked out the door. I stood there for a few minutes with the door wide open before I shook myself from the stupor. I closed up and locked the door.

I showered quickly, washing the bar smell off me. I put on an old T-shirt and fell into bed. My thoughts were on Zero and our dinner. For the first time in a long time, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

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A/N - What do you think? This story is completely written, but I still want to hear your thoughts and ideas! I love reviews! : )


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer:** Characters do not belong to me, except the one's you don't recognize. JE gets the credit for creating such an amazing cast of characters for me to play with. I'm not making any money from my ramblings either.

Thank you to my amazing beta...Rangergirl1234! She made it readable! I did some rewriting of this chapter after her amazing work, so any mistakes are mine. : )

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 2**

Before I could even open my eyes the next day, I knew that it was going to be bad. I felt the little drummer boys banging in my head and my stomach rolled from the abuse that I poured down it the night before. I cracked my eyes slightly to see sunlight streaming through my curtains. Ouch...sun equaled bad.

I stumbled into the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I'm so glad no one was there to witness that scene. I liked to drink, but I hated the hangover the day after. I decided that a shower would help so I stumbled over to the shower and turned on the hot water. I quickly cleaned myself up and washed the rats-nest that I call hair. Once I was clean and redressed in comfortable lounge pants and a T-shirt, I did indeed feel better.

I didn't have any pressing things to do that day because the cases that were in my range at the bonds office were low and I only had one outstanding skip to bring in. I could pick up Mooner the next day and then stop by the office to see if anything new came in for me. I decided that it was a good day for a relaxing and watching a movie. After all, what else do you do when you have a hangover?

I popped in Ghostbusters and grabbed a pint of Chubby Hubby out of the freezer. It wasn't my normal cure for a hangover, but I was not about to drive all the way to McDonalds. Nope, not going to happen. Fudge covered peanut butter ice cream was going to have to be good enough.

Half-way through the movie, my phone rang and the internal war started - to answer or not to answer. It was probably my mom anyway so I continued to watch the movie and let my machine pick it up. I was right, it was my mother. Let the ranting and raving commence.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum. Why am I getting calls about you being out dressed like a slut dancing with a whole bunch of random men? Why are you embarrassing me? You've already lost Joe and now your making it difficult to find anyone interested in you. Men don't want a party girl for their wife. Why does my daughter have to act this way? Gladys Murphy's daughter, Jaime, doesn't dress in next to nothing and have sex with men in public. Why does my daughter? You will be here for dinner tonight. Howard Parks is coming and he's the only one I've found interested in you. This is your last chance young lady. Six sharp, be here."

Yeah, wasn't going to happen. I sighed as I erased the message from my machine. I remembered Howard Parks from high school. He was math club president and was apparently a genius. He was socially awkward and didn't talk to anyone. I stayed away from him then and I planned on continuing that trend. I'll just tell my mom that I didn't get the message. What she doesn't know, won't hurt her.

I settled myself in to finish my movie, but apparently got too comfortable because I feel asleep before it was over. My cell phone ringing woke me up from my impromptu nap. I grabbed it off the coffee table and hit the answer button.

"Yo." I had definitely worked at RangeMan too much. I was starting to sound like the men there. I didn't recognize the number, but once I heard the laugh on the other end I knew exactly who it was.

"Breá, how are you this morning or should I say afternoon?" I could hear the smile in his voice and could almost picture exactly what he looked like at that moment.

"I'm fine." I lied. "How are you, Noah?" I tried to hide the 'just woke up' sound from my voice.

"I'm great now that I'm talking to you. I figured you would still be sleeping off the hangover from last night, but I'm glad you're not."

"You're sweet. Hangover is here, but I'm dealing with it. Ghostbusters and ice cream is what Dr. Plum ordered for me today." I laid down on the couch and smiled. It was good to hear his sexy voice.

"That's good. Taking a day to relax can be good for you, but I have an idea that would be better." My curiosity peaked upon hearing that he had a better idea.

"You do? Why don't you tell me what that idea is and I'll decide if it would be better or not?" I almost purred into the phone. I was flirting and was enjoying every minute of it. He chuckled.

"Why don't I pick you up in an hour and we go to an early dinner and go see a movie? Does that sound good to you?" Was he asking me out or did he just feel sorry for me because I broke down on him last night?

"Are you asking me out on a date?" The words came out before I could stop them and I heard him laugh.

"Yes, Breá. I'm asking you out on a date." I could hear the smile in his voice again. Did I want to go on a date with Zero? Did I want to open that can of worms? Ranger would find out and be pissed. He still thinks I'm his property, I'm sure. I paused for about five-seconds before blurting out my answer.

"I would love to go out with you." It was the truth, too. I had an amazing time with him the night before and found myself wanting to continue where we left off. I would deal with Ranger later. He went out with someone else, why the hell can't I?

"Perfect. I'll be there in an hour. Bye Breá." Oh my god! He said goodbye. I couldn't believe it. Most of the guys just hang up on me. It pisses me off, but they keep doing it. I sat on the couch for about thirty-seconds before dashing off to my bedroom. I only had an hour to get ready for my date.

I didn't know exactly where we were going, but I wanted to look good. I picked out my most flattering pair of skinny jeans and paired them with a tight fitting V-neck sweater that hugged my curves perfectly. With the help of a Vickie's wonder-bra, I would get the cleavage I wanted to help fill the sweater out. I finished off the look by putting on my black boots that hugged my calves.

Now I had to tackle my hair. I showered earlier so I ran some miracle cream through my curls. It helped relax them into soft waves that fell perfectly around my shoulders and face. I added a few swipes of mascara to my lashes and swipe of lip gloss to my lips and I was ready to go.

Perfect timing too. I had just spritzed my perfume on my neck when I heard a knock on the door. After a quick glance of my reflection, I grabbed my coat and opened the door to see perfection standing in front of me.

Zero wore faded jeans that hugged his ass and thighs perfectly and a light blue button up shirt untucked with the sleeves rolled up his arms. He looked sexy as sin, and I suddenly didn't want to leave anymore. Dinner and a movie could wait because I wanted to drag him inside and have a very good time with him in my bed.

"You look gorgeous, Breá." He stepped in the door and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "You ready to go?" He looked so unsure of himself and that made me smile. I'm wasn't used to seeing a Merry Man nervous.

"You look pretty hot yourself." He blushed and looked away. "Let me grab my purse, and we can go." I turned and grabbed my bag off the counter and followed him out of the door. I locked up and we headed out for our date.

Zero was quite the gentleman. He held open doors for me, and helped me into and out of the car. He kept his hand respectfully placed at the small of my back to help guide me through the crowds. I was impressed. I've never been treated so nicely before.

He drove us to a restaurant outside of Trenton and we were seated at a back table. Of course his back was to the wall so he could see everything around him. The conversation during dinner was amazing. We laughed about everything from my skip tracing failures to his days in the army. He had a few stories to tell me about the guys at RangeMan and now I had some ammunition to use against Lester and Bobby. Awe, sweet revenge!

Once dinner was done, he smiled and placed the order for dessert. I didn't know exactly what he ordered, so I was shocked when the waiter brought out a crème brulee cheesecake AND a molten lava chocolate cake. He placed both desserts in the middle of the table so we were able to share them. I can't tell you which on was better. They were both amazing, but my favorite thing was watching Zero lick the chocolate off his lip. I wanted to lean over the table and lick it off for him, but thought that would be a little too forward. Don't you think?

After dessert was gone and we were both filled with delicious food, Zero laid a couple of hundreds on the table and we walked out the door.

"There's a park close by. Are you up for a walk before the movie?" Zero shot me a questioning glance.

"I would love that." I smiled at him and he gave me the half-smile that made my knees weak. We walked hand in hand around a gorgeous park talking about anything and everything. After about an hour of walking, we found a quiet bench beside the duck pond and sat down. Zero rested his arm around my shoulders so I snuggled into his side.

We were silent for several minutes before the silence was broken.

"Stephanie, can I ask you something?" There was a hesitance in his voice and it's never good to hear my whole name. That usually meant that I was in trouble.

"You can ask me anything you want to, Noah." Most of the guys didn't need to ask me anything. My life is an open book for anyone to know and gossip about.

"Are you still in love with Ranger?" Damn, why did it have to be that question? I was still in love with him, but I couldn't tell that to the guy that I would like to start seeing more.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure." I paused looking down. I was ashamed to admit the relationship that Ranger and I had. "I've loved Ranger for years. It's hard not to love someone who saved your life on more than one occasion. He's always been there when I needed him and I trust him with my life." Talking about that hurt too damn bad, but I sucked it up and continued.

"I know you guys thought there was a lot more to our relationship then there really was. We slept together a few times in the past and then got really heavy after Joe and I broke up." I could feel the tears. Zero didn't say anything, just squeezed me closer to him and rubbed my arm with his hand.

"The thing about Ranger is he refuses to have a relationship. He wants sex and that's it. No strings, no emotions. I can't do that because I already have too many emotions attached to that man. I once hoped and prayed that he would want me for more than just sex, but I don't see that happening. It's time for me to move on." I knew it in my mind that it was time for me to move on with my life, but my heart wasn't quite ready to let go. Maybe it never would be.

"I'm sorry, Breá. I can see how much loving him hurts you. If you want the truth, it's his loss. If he's too stupid to see what a wonderful woman you are then he doesn't deserve you." I turned my face toward his and found that his lips were a breaths away from mine. He looked deep into my eyes asking for permission to close the small gap. I did one better and stretched up to press my lips against his.

The kiss started out gentle. When I felt his tongue trace my lower lip, I whimpered and opened my mouth for him. His exploration of my mouth was soft and caring. It wasn't hungry like so many of Ranger's kisses. I could feel one of his hands run through my curls and the other was gently caressing my face. My hands where gripping his forearms, holding on for dear life. He pulled away, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth before letting it pop out and stared into my eyes.

We were both breathing heavy and neither of us spoke. His hand was still caressing my face and I have never felt so treasured by someone in my entire life. He was moving his mouth back to mine for another kiss when his cell phone chirped. He pulled it off his belt, glanced at the message and cursed under his breath. He looked around nervously and then turned his hard eyes to me. I was kind of concerned, but he gave me a small smile and brushed a piece of hair off my face.

"I'm sorry, Breá. I've got to back to the office. Something came up." I was disappointed, but this is the life of a security specialist so I would need to understand if he were going to work.

"It's okay. I understand." I placed a kiss on his hand in understanding. We walked back to where he parked his car and he drove me home. The conversation wasn't what it was earlier so I sat and stared out the window. He seemed distracted and upset about something. When he parked in my lot and got out, I saw him look around. I didn't know what he was looking for. I didn't think that I had a new stalker.

"Everything okay, Noah?" I asked when he helped me out of the car. He looked at me and I could read the emotions on his face. Shame was the most prominent. I wondered what he was ashamed about, but I didn't ask. I didn't think I wanted to know.

"Everything is fine, Breá. I'll walk you up and check your apartment before I leave." He did just that. There wasn't any lingering afterwards. No kisses or touches. It was quick and before I knew it, he was gone. I was a little shocked and a little hurt as his abrupt departure.

I threw the locks on my door and changed into house clothes. I needed to spend some time in my thinking position. That whole day was wonderful and confusing all at the same time. Zero's abrupt turn from sweet to cold was disturbing and I had a lot of crap I needed to think about. Why did the men in my life have to be so damn confusing!

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A/N - Thanks for all the reviews and favorite/follows. I plan on responding to your reviews later today, but wanted to go ahead and say thank you! They keep me writing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Characters do not belong to me. They are the creation of the amazing Janet Evonovich. I'm thankful that she allows me to play with them when I want to.

THANK YOU to my wonderful Beta! Her helpful advice and tweaks made this chapter much more enjoyable than the original.

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Lifetime of Love

Chapter 3

That night was spent tossing and turning. I was confused and more than a little hurt about the complete turn around from Zero. It confused the shit out of me and it kind of pissed me off. If it was just about work, then he shouldn't have been so mad about it. There was something off. My spidey senses were tingling, but I couldn't decide what they were telling me.

I finally gave up on sleep around six in the morning and decided to get up. I showered and threw on my basic bounty hunting uniform which consisted of old ripped jeans and a ratty T-shirt. Why wear something nice when I was going to end up rolling in garbage. Ya feel me? I drove to the bakery and got a dozen donuts and met Connie at the office when she was opening.

"Wow, Steph. I've never seen you here this early. What's going on?" She finished unlocking the door and let me in. I didn't want to tell her about my miserable life so I just shrugged and sat the box of sugary heaven on the desk. I pulled out a Boston Creme and plopped on the couch.

"Nothing's wrong. I was just up early and thought I'd come in and get my day started." She either believed me or decided not to push it because she grabbed a donut and tossed me a few files.

"That's all we got for you. We've got a few for RangeMan. Will you tell Ranger when you see him later?" Everyone thought Ranger and I had something going on. We did, but now it's definitely over. I had no plans of seeing him today or any time soon.

"You better call him. I don't think I'll see him today." She looked shocked for a brief second but then nodded her head.

I looked at my new files and cringed. One old drunk and Harold Grumbles, 29 year old arrested for assault and attempted rape. He was about 6 foot 2 inches and had the build of a Merry Man. Why was he in my stack?

"Shouldn't Ranger get Mr. Grumbles? He's out of my league." I tried to hand it back but she shook her head.

"Bond's not high enough for RangeMan. Maybe you can get some help with him." She continued to munch on her donut and didn't seem too concerned that I was in charge of bringing in an almost rapist who beat his victim with his shoe. I guess if I see him reach for his shoe strings, that's my sign to run.

"Whatever. The others are easy so I need to get busy and get these done." I grabbed one more donut from the box and walked out the door. As I got into my POS car, I noticed a black SUV pull up behind me. I watched in the rearview mirror as Ranger and Zero stepped out and approached my car. I didn't feel like talking to either of them so I quickly started my car and sped off.

I could almost see the look on Ranger's face but he was kind of hidden by the black smoke that poured out of my car's exhaust. Oh well. He shouldn't have been standing there.

I picked up Mooner first. He was in between sitcom marathons, and I promised him an egg McMuffin if he came with me. He happily agreed and I had him fed and to the police station in a matter of minutes. I left him there to wait for Connie to come re-bond him back out and I made my way to the next skip.

Tony 'two Toes' Thomas was a low level mobster for a not so well known family. Word on the street was that he liked to remove two toes from the people he "talked to". Just thinking about it made my feet hurt. He was arrested for public intoxication and public indecency. He was drunk and tried to pee on a fire hydrant because he thought he was a dog. This should be an easy pick-up because he's probably still drunk.

I found him just like I thought I would, drunk as a skunk and passed out. He also smelled worse than the animal described before - skunk. I had to drag him to my car and drive to the station with the windows down. I had help getting him out of the car and into the station. A rookie cop just happened to be coming out to smoke when I pulled up, so I got him to do most of the work.

Once he was in custody of the TPD, I was only down to one more skip-but it had potential to be a doozy. It was lunch time, so I decided to eat and then try to find the wannabe rapist. I was worried about trying to take him myself, but I didn't want to call Ranger for help. I kind of wanted to prove to him and to myself that I didn't need him. I hoped this plan didn't blow up in my face.

I ate a lonely quiet lunch at Subway. Hey, I can be healthy sometimes. I looked at the file as I ate and there was something about the guys picture that I didn't like. He looked mean, but his eyes looked empty. I shrugged it off and decided to head to his house after I ate.

I pulled up outside his little residence and waited. I watched for movement inside or for a sign that I should get the hell out of there. I saw the movement from inside, but not the sign to run. So, I checked my belt before I climbed out of the car. I had all the necessary equipment so I walked up to the door and knocked.

"What the fuck do you want, bitch?" The door was yanked open by an angry Harold and I almost faked Girl Scout cookie salesperson. I wish now that I had of.

"Mr. Grumbles? You missed your court date and I'm here to take you to the police department to reschedule. It shouldn't take long." I reached for his arm and he just laughed.

"You're here to take me to the police station? Are you kidding?" He laughed harder and it was pissing me off.

He was laughing so hard that he was almost falling over. I could see the tears in his eyes and he was clutching his side. There was no sign of him stopping and I had enough of being his entertainment so I pulled my stun gun off and pressed it to his arm and hit the button. He stopped laughing and fell over. Right. On. Top. Of. Me!

I tried to move, honestly I did, but he fell like a ton of bricks and I was the unfortunate victim in his way. Watching him fall towards me was like watching a tree fall in the woods. I was half expecting someone to yell "TIMMMBEEERRRR".

There was no yell, just a squeak from me when I landed on my back and he landed on top of me. The air was forced out of lungs and there was something painful digging into my back and ass. I tried my damnedest to get out from under him, but nothing I did was successful. The sight from the neighbors houses had to have been comical and I would have thought that someone would come help me, but no one showed up.

I laid there for what seemed like hours. I finally felt him start to come back from LaLa Land and was able then to push him off me with a little help from his movements. Once I was up and on my feet, I tagged him again with my stun gun and took stock of my injuries.

I didn't hit my head, but my back was killing me and my ass had an indentation from the jagged sidewalk that I landed on. The longer I stood up, the more pain shot through my back and into my legs. The pain was so intense that it took my breath away.

I decided that there was no way to get the big oaf into my car without help, so I called the only person I could think of. I didn't want to have to ask him for help, but I didn't see another option.

"Hello?" So much better than the RangeMan 'yo'.

"Joe, I need help." I never called him for help, so my request must have surprised him.

"Cupcake, where are you? Are you hurt? I'm on the way." I heard the rustling of clothes and then the starting of a car. He really was on the way. I gave him the address and then sat beside the skip to wait for my knight in a rusted POS.

Joe sped to a stop and was out of the car before it stopped completely. Once he saw me he slowed his approach and then when he saw the unconscious skip a sexy smile spread across his face.

"He's not dead is he?" He asked trying to sound serious, but I knew he was joking. I've called him before to help with dead bodies. Hell, I've shown up at his house with a dead body rolled up in a rug and attached to the roof of my car. We have history with dead bodies.

"No, just stunned a little. Can you help me get him to my car?" I stood and before Joe reached down to grab the skip he pulled me into a hug. The minute his arms came around me the pain in my back intensified and I cried out backing away from him. He looked shocked and then hurt.

"I'm sorry, Joe. He fell on me the first time I stunned him and I think I messed up my back. It hurts something fierce." He grimaced and motioned for me to turn around. I sighed and obeyed. He lifted my shirt and I could hear his sharp intake of breath.

"Cupcake. You need to go the hospital. You are bruised and there might be something else wrong. I'll take him to the station and then you to the hospital." He lowered my shirt and reached down and easily picked Harold up off the ground. I placed handcuffs around his wrists and followed as Joe drug him to his city owned POS.

"If you'll take him to the station for me, I'll just go home and relax. I think I just need a few days to rest." He didn't look convinced, but knew I wouldn't do something that I didn't want to do. He kissed my forehead.

"You call me if the pain gets worse. You need to see someone, even if it's the medic at RangeMan. Have someone smart take a look at it. It looks bad to me." He climbed in his car and rolled down his window.

"l'll bring your body receipt to you later tonight along with a pizza. See ya, Cupcake." I waved as he drove off. Our relationship had been so much better as friends. If we had been still involved, then he would have yelled and waved his arms around like a maniac. I like our friendship status. I miss the sex, but who wouldn't?

I slowly made my way to my car and climbed in. My legs felt numb and tingly but I could still use them. The pain in my back was getting better so I didn't think I needed to see anyone. I drove back to my apartment without stopping to get my checks from Connie. I would turn them all in tomorrow and get paid.

I slowly walked up to my apartment and let myself in. The pain was back and was almost taking my breath away with each step I took. A bath sounded like a good idea so I hobbled into the bathroom. I found if I hunch over a little while I walk, it didn't hurt as bad. I turned on the hot water and closed the drain. I slowly removed my clothes and lowered myself into the steaming tub. It felt good and relaxing, but it didn't relax the muscles in my back. They still hurt like a son of a bitch.

I sat in the tub until the water got too cold for me to tolerate. Getting out of the bathtub was an interesting feat. I had to practically roll over the side and then get on my knees and then force myself to stand. I couldn't stand straight though. Standing straight equaled severe pain and I don't like pain.

I popped two Advil to help with the inflammation and threw on a pair of panties and a T-shirt. I didn't bother with pants. It hurt too damn bad to bend my legs and Joe had seen it all before anyway. I wasn't expecting any other company. I hadn't heard from Zero or Ranger all day. After I saw them this morning, I thought one of them would call; but they didn't. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

I found a comfortable place on the couch and flipped on my TV. I needed to find something to pass the time until Joe got there. I was hungry, but I didn't want to get up. I wasn't sure I could find this spot again and the absence of pain was wonderful. I must have fallen asleep while watching a riveting Final Jeopardy showdown because the next thing I know after Alex Trebeck read the answer was Joe sitting beside me on the couch and rubbing my bare leg. His touch felt so good and I think I moaned a little because I heard him laugh.

"Come on Cupcake. Pizza is here." That's all it took for me to get moving. I moved slowly to stand and then hobbled over to my table where Joe was sitting with a scowl on his face.

"It's still hurting?" He asked past a hunk of pizza in his mouth.

"Yeah. I tried a bath and took some pills, but it didn't help." I lowered myself into a chair and grabbed a slice. I shoved it into my mouth and moaned. There's nothing better than a hot slice of greasy pizza with extra cheese.

"Will you go to the hospital, please? I hate to see you in pain." Damn him and that word. He knows I can't say no to please. I knew deep down that I should probably go see someone, but I hated hospitals.

"How about I call Bobby after dinner. He can come here and take a look. I'm sure it's just bruised." Joe didn't like it, but agreed. Huh, before we broke up there would have been an argument and a warning about being around Ranger's men. Like I said before, I like this new arrangement we have.

We enjoyed dinner together with no more talk of injuries or doctors. Joe told me about his latest cases and about his latest date. She still lived at home with her parents, doesn't work and has no desire to be anything except a housewife. She's perfect for him.

When the pizza was gone, Joe handed me my cell phone from my purse. I knew what he was waiting for so I rolled my eyes and pressed the number three spot on my speed dial. Number one was Ranger, two was Joe, and three Bobby since I called him all the time because I was usually injured. After a few rings, I got the standard RangeMan greeting.

"Yo." I rolled my eyes. I'm going to buy them phone etiquette lessons sometime.

"Bobby. It's Stephanie. Are you busy?" Maybe he couldn't come see me right now. Maybe he's on a takedown or on a date.

"Never too busy for you, Bomber. What's up?" I hated the nickname Bomber or Bombshell. They came up with it because my cars are always blowing up. Well, not just my cars. My apartment, a funeral home, and a garbage truck have been known to catch on fire too.

"I might have a problem that hopefully you can help me with. I found myself under a rather large skip today and I must have landed on something because my lower back is bothering me. Would you have time to come over here and take a look at it? I hate to bother you, but I don't want to go to the hospital." I half expected him to tell me he was busy and didn't want to come over to check out my latest fuck up, but he didn't.

"I'll be there in 7 minutes." He hung up and I knew I could set my watch by that seven minutes. It will probably be more like 6 minutes and 48 seconds, but who's counting?

"He'll be here soon. You don't have to wait, Joe. I'll be fine." He didn't look convinced.

"I'm staying because I want to hear what he thinks. I worry about you, Cupcake. Just because we aren't together doesn't mean I don't still care about you." He gently pulled me into a hug. He glanced down my backside and I guess my T-shirt had ridden up a little because he groaned and pushed me away.

"Please go put some pants on before he gets here. I can't concentrate when you're half-dressed and I assume he can't either." He pushed me toward my bedroom and I hobbled into my room and found a pair of thin boxers. They were old and short and comfortable. I made my way back out and I heard voices talking in hushed tones. I guess I spent more time in the bedroom than I thought.

I hobbled out to my living room to see Ranger, Zero, Bobby and Les standing there with concerned looks on their faces. Joe stepped up when I was walking and gave me a hand to finish walking into the room.

"Where do you want me Bobby? Couch or bed?" I wiggled my eye brows at him and watched him blush. Lester laughed, Ranger scowled and Zero looked pained. Joe cussed under his breath and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Let's you and I head to your room so I can get a good look without other eyes watching too." Bobby picked up his bag of medical stuff and guided me slowly back to my room.

"Good, I'm not really into giving a free show tonight. Maybe another time though." I tossed out before turning into my room. I didn't see their reactions but I assumed they were the same as last time. I did hear Lester's jovial laughter. I can always count on him to enjoy my sexual joking.

Once we got into the bedroom Bobby closed the door. He gently lifted my shirt and started feeling around down my spine and lower back.

"Tell me when I get to a sensitive spot." He kept his gentle hands moving down my back stopping and putting gently pressure on certain places. When he hit the mother of all sensitive spots, I did more than let him know. I sucked a breath in and lunged forward away from him so he couldn't touch it again.

"Sorry, Steph. I know this hurts. Does the pain radiate up or down your spine?" He continued to gently feel around the area that was so tender.

"Pain shoots down my legs and sometimes they go numb and get tingly." He nodded his head and sighed loudly.

"Well, I think you've ruptured a disc or two. You need to get an MRI to see how bad they are and to see if they are damaging the spinal cord. You need to go to the hospital." Well fuck! Why couldn't have I just bruised myself? Why did something have to be ruptured?

"Okay. Thanks for coming over to look at it Bobby. I'll go to the hospital tomorrow." I knew I wouldn't and so did he.

"I will always come when you call, Steph. You can't wait until tomorrow. You need to go tonight. You don't want permanent spinal cord damage." That didn't sound good. Permanent meant forever. No reversal.

"Could that happen?" I watched him nod his head and grab his bag. He wasn't going to let me put this off so I grabbed an oversized sweatshirt to put over my T-shirt and a pair of lounge pants to change into. I couldn't very well show up in the ER wearing thin boxer shorts. My mother would get called and then it would all be over.

Bobby left the room so I could change. I found some old slip on shoes and threw my hair up into a sloppy pony-tail. I hobbled out to the living room to see everyone talking quietly. I knew they were talking about me and it pissed me off.

"Babe, you can ride with us to the ER. You don't need to be driving." I didn't want to ride with them. I was still mad at Ranger and Zero and didn't want to be stuck in a car with them.

"Joe, can you take me? You don't have to stay, I'll call my dad to bring me home or I'll call a cab if it's too late." He glanced nervously at the guys around him. They were all shooting me glares that ranged from anger to confusion.

"Uhh, sure Steph. I'll stay though. I don't work until late tomorrow." He took my arm and guided me out the door. The guys all followed and they took the stairs while Joe and I waited for the elevator. They were all waiting patiently in their SUV by the time we walked out and got into Joe's car.

He helped me inside and then ran around to the driver's seat. He looked at me concerned and when I wouldn't look at him he sighed and started to drive to the hospital. We were almost there when he decided to ask me what he wanted to know.

"Want to tell me what that was all about? You seem like you're a little pissed at Batman. Trouble in paradise?" I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to talk to my ex-boyfriend about my ex-lover. It felt too weird. And I sure as shit didn't want to talk about my feelings toward Zero. I didn't understand those myself. I know his attitude the day before hurt, but I was too scared to figure out why.

"It's complicated." He looked at me for a long minute while waiting for the light to change then nodded his head. I was glad he wasn't going to push it. I really didn't want to talk about it. Maybe I would wake up and this will all be a dream. Yeah right, wishful thinking!

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A/N - Another chapter done! Thanks everyone for the reviews and follows/favorites. They are what keeps me writing! I know a lot of you have said that you don't like this Ranger. I have to agree, but he redeems himself later in the story. You just have to keep reading. : )


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Any characters that you recognize don't belong to me. I'm thankful that Janet lets us play with them when we want.

Thank you to my amazing beta, Rangergirl1234. Her tips and changes make my ramblings much easier to read!

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 4**

After fours hours in the ER, x-rays, MRI's, and being felt up by numerous doctors it was decided that I had herniated a disc in my back that was causing the pain. It was putting slight pressure on my spinal cord, but they weren't too concerned about it. I was on two weeks of light duty and had anti-inflammatory pain pills to take to help with the swelling and the pain. The doctor even gave me some tips of some exercises I could do to help with the healing. Yeah, because those will get done.

Once I got my discharge papers, I left Bobby chatting with the doctor and I made my way out to the waiting room to find Joe so he could take me home. I saw Zero, Ranger and Les but no Joe. Les must have seen me looking for him because he was the one who spoke.

"He got a call and had to leave. Said to tell you that he'll be by later tonight after his shift." Well hell. There went my ride home. I nodded and sat slowly in the chair beside Les. He looked at me and raised his eyebrow. I knew he wanted to know about the injury, but I was being stubborn and didn't want to tell them. It wasn't their business.

Bobby came out a few minutes later and filled the guys in any way. Ranger kept his eyes on me the entire time Bobby talked. I didn't meet his gaze, but I could feel his eyes on me. Zero watched me too, but the look in his eyes wasn't as hard as Ranger's. I could almost see concern. When Bobby was done talking to the guys, Ranger nodded and then approached where I was sitting. He squatted down in front of me and took my hands in his.

"Babe, will you come back to RangeMan for the two weeks? We have an open apartment on four if you don't feel comfortable staying on seven." I started to open my mouth to protest, but was stopped by Ranger's finger over my lips.

"Think about it. You'll have Bobby right across the hall, Ella to cook for you, and I know Hector would love to massage your sore muscles."

Oh my God, I almost forgot about Hector's massages. For an ex-gang member, he's got such gentle hands. I pulled a muscle in my leg about three months ago and Hector was all too willing to rub the sore muscles. Ranger had me persuaded to stay there at Ella, but Hector sealed the deal.

"Okay. Let me go home and pack a bag. The apartment on four sounds like heaven." Ranger wasn't happy that I picked there instead of his penthouse, but I couldn't let myself live with Ranger for two weeks. It will only give me a glimpse of something that I might want and will never have.

Les and Bobby helped me stand and walk out to the SUV. I glanced behind me and saw Ranger and Zero talking and it didn't look too friendly. They were both tense and ready to punch each other. I wondered what was going on.

When we got back to my apartment, Les gathered Rex and all his necessities and I packed some clothes. I didn't plan on leaving the apartment much, so I mostly packed lounge pants and tank tops. I wanted to be comfortable. I could always come back here sometime and grab more clothes if I needed something different.

When we finally pulled into the RangeMan offices on Haywood, I was exhausted. The pain pills made me tired and I had been awake for too freaking long. Bobby grabbed my bags, Les grabbed Rex and Zero tried to help me. When I stumbled, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me into the elevator. He held me perfectly so it didn't put pressure on my lower back.

I blame the pain pills or the exhaustion or maybe it was my rampaging hormones, but when the elevator doors closed I snuggled into Zero's hard body and tucked my face into his neck. The content sigh that I released caused a growl to sound from behind us. If my mental Merry Man placement was right, that would make Ranger the producer of the growl. Oh well.

Ranger opened the door to the apartment and the guys got all of my stuff situated. Zero took me straight to the bedroom and placed me on the bed. I suddenly wasn't tired anymore. Feeling him that close to me and feeling the soft bed beneath me was enough to make me crazy. He didn't pull away right away and moved his hand to brush some hair out of my face.

Luckily the other guys didn't follow us into the bedroom so our little interlude wasn't witnessed. He smiled at me and placed a gentle kiss on my nose. He pulled away and stood up.

"Sleep, Breá. I'll come by later to check on you. Would that be okay?" I smiled and nodded. He turned out the light and then closed the bedroom door. I was asleep instantly.

I slept until after noon the next day. When I finally pulled myself up from the drug induced sleep, I looked around the room and momentarily forgot where I was. Waking up in a strange bed always freaked me out. I noticed a note propped up on the table beside the bed. There were two little pills inside with a quick message.

Breá,

Take these to help with the pain. They won't make you as sleepy as the prescription ones. I'll come by after my shift ends and I want you awake so we can talk.

~ Noah

My heart hammered in my chest and I smiled bigger than I had in a long time. There was something about his note that made me happy. Was it that he cared enough to want to help me or the fact that he wants to talk? Usually I get scared when I hear those words, but there was a sweetness in the notes tone that told me I would like this talk. Can written words have a tone? Possibly, I'm reading too much into this.

I took the pills and decided to shower and get dressed for a day of doing nothing. I was able to somewhat comfortably shave and get myself clean in the shower and was even able to stretch my arms up to wash my rats nest hair. Drugs are a wonderful thing.

I was pleased with my successful shower. I dressed in a little black thong and matching barely there bra; black Capri yoga pants and a pink tank top with Angel written in sparkly black letters on the bust. It was a Victoria Secret impulse buy and it made my boobs look incredible.

I wasn't willing to think of why I was putting forth so much effort to look good. I was supposed to be pissed at Zero and I sure as hell didn't want Ranger to see me looking this good. He had his chance to have me and blew it, so his loss is going to be someone else's gain.

After throwing my hair into a messy/sexy pony-tail, I peeked into the kitchen to see what Ella had left me for breakfast or lunch. I found a plate of chicken alfredo in the microwave and a cup of her homemade chocolate pudding in the fridge. Oh, how I love Ella.

I ate my lunch and enjoyed every bite. I even licked the alfredo sauce off the plate. Hey, don't judge me - Ella is a goddess in the kitchen. Her dinners are always amazing, but her desserts are to die for. I moaned my way through the entire cup of pudding. I was in heaven.

After my lunch was finished and cleaned up, I grabbed the TV remote and found a comfortable position on the couch. I really hated daytime TV, but I was able to find a movie that I hadn't seen in quite a while so I settled in to watch it. With a combination of a full stomach and the pills, I didn't stay awake very long. I think I remembered watching about thirty minutes of the movie and then I was out.

The next thing I knew, someone was sitting beside me on the couch. Hands were stroking my face gently and he was whispering in my ear. I really couldn't pay attention to the words because I was too focused on his hand trailing down my arm and then on to my hip and down my leg. I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips.

I heard a familiar chuckle and opened my eyes to see Zero smiling down at me. There was a sparkle in his eyes and he lowered his face to mine and gently kissed my lips. I felt the heat immediately, but he didn't linger long enough for it to build into an inferno.

"Time to get up sleeping beauty. I need to talk to you." The whispered words in my ear sent chills down my spine and I shivered when he placed a kiss on the spot right behind my ear lobe. You know the spot I'm talking about.

"I'm awake. I didn't mean to fall asleep again." I stretched and felt a stab of pain but it didn't last long. I maneuvered my legs under me and sat up on the couch leaning on the arm with my legs crossed in front of me. Zero grabbed us each a bottle of water and sat on the opposite end of the couch facing me.

He looked so damn sexy sitting there. Talking was the last thing on my mind, but I knew he needed to tell me something important so I behaved myself and sat there like a good little girl. Bad Stephanie can come out and play later.

"Steph, I'm sorry about how I acted the other day." He looked so nervous and so unsure of himself. It was a new to see that attitude from a Merry Man. They were always confident and cock-sure of themselves.

"Why did you do it? What changed in that fifteen-seconds?" I had to know the reason for the change. Call me too curious for my own good. He let out a long sigh and looked into my eyes. The sparkle was gone and in its' place was something else - something that resembled love.

"The message I got was about work and I was upset that they interrupted our time together. I really like you Steph. I'm not used to feeling this way about someone and it scared me. I know my coldness hurt you and I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?" He looked down at his water bottle in his hands. He reminded me of a little boy being sent to the time-out chair. Dejected and ashamed.

"Of course I'll forgive you. I really like you too, Noah. I've enjoyed the time we spent together." I tried to lean forward to kiss him, but a pain in my back stopped my progress. I cussed and leaned back into the arm. He smiled at me and made the move to lay over me. He wasn't putting all his weight on me, but it was enough to make my hormones sing.

"Am I hurting you?" He whispered, his lips just a breath away from mine? I shook my head and moaned.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance, Breá. I'll make sure you don't regret it." His lips met mine in that instant and moved against mine. It was a gentle kiss, but when his tongue came out to play, it turned hotter than hell. My mouth opened for him to explore and my hands when up to tangle in his hair. God it felt so silky.

I felt one of his hands toying with the hem of my tank-top, patiently asking for permission to go exploring. I granted access by placing my hand on top of his and guiding it to where I wanted him to go. His warm palm massaged my bra clad breast making my nipples ache and stand for attention. When his fingers pinched the nipple, I arched my back in appreciation. With a herniated disc, that was the wrong move.

Pain shot through my back and I hissed, drawing my lips away from his. He pulled away instantly and stood up.

"God, Steph. I'm so sorry! I got caught up in the moment and forgot..." I didn't let him go any further. It wasn't entirely his fault.

"NOAH! It's not your fault. I was just as caught up as you were. I'll be fine, I just moved the wrong way. I guess I got too excited." He didn't look convinced but gingerly sat down beside me.

"Maybe we need to cool it down until I'm fully healed. Think you can do that big boy?" I was smirking at him and he turned his sexy half-smile on me and mumbled in the most sexy voice I've ever heard.

"I can handle it, but I don't think you can. Does that mean I can't kiss you?" I acted like I was thinking hard about the question. There was no way I was going to give up his kisses.

"I sure as hell hope not." He growled and leaned forward to take my lips again. I could kiss this man for the rest of my life. WOAH! Where the hell did that thought come from? Let's just focus on the rest of the night, first.

He must have felt me tense, because he stopped kissing and pulled away again.

"Did I hurt you again?"

"Nope. I could kiss you all day and night." I smiled at him and rubbed his arm that was lying on my lap. He smiled back.

"The feeling is mutual. Now, how about dinner? How does a meatball sub sound? I'll call Pinos and go pick it up." I nodded and he grabbed his cell phone. My mouth watered at the thought of the yummy sub passing my lips.

He must have seen my expression because he laughed out loud and dialed the number. I heard him place the order and then he grabbed his keys and dropped a kiss on my lips.

"Be back in a few minutes." When he opened the door, Les was standing there getting ready to knock. He looked shocked to see Zero open the door, but didn't say anything. Les walked in while Zero walked out.

Les watched the door close and then turned to where I was sitting on the couch. It was no use trying to hide the freshly kissed look on my face. Les was the resident playboy and could sense a make-out session from a mile away.

"Beautiful, you look..." he pretended to think and inspect my face. He turned my face to each side and then lifted my chin. "You look happy." I smiled at him. Les is a really great guy. A horn-dog, yes, but a great guy nonetheless.

"I am happy, Les." He pulled me into his side and kissed my head.

"And do we owe the thanks to Zero for making you this happy?" I wasn't sure if Zero wanted to tell the guys anything about us, but it was going to be hard to hide it.

"Maybe, but please don't say anything to him about it. It's new and I don't want to fuck it up." Les laughed. I knew the guys would warn Zero not to hurt me when they heard about us. It's what big brothers do, and the guys at RangeMan were definitely my big brothers.

"I'm happy for you. When did this new thing start with you two?" I always felt comfortable talking to Les. He listens and honestly cares about me. He also talks too. He's told me all about his life.

"I guess it started on Valentine's Day. I was determined to go out and have fun and ended up at the club where Zero was bouncing. He asked me to eat with him after his shift and then we went out the next day." I felt him tense when I mentioned Valentine's Day. I assumed his date didn't turn out like he hoped and shrugged off the tension in the room. Les changed the subject from my love life to my back.

"Beautiful, do you want me to help you do the exercises the doctor recommended? It will help you heal faster. I've had a back injury similar to yours and I know the benefit of stretching every day." Hmmm, he said the bad word. Exercise. But, if it will help me get healed faster than I'm willing to try it.

"That would be great Les. The faster I heal, the faster I can get back to work." AND maybe have an orgasm with another person. I heard Les bust out laughing beside me and I realized that I spoke that out loud. I should have been embarrassed, but it was Lester, so I just shrugged. It was the truth.

Les sobered quickly and got serious. "Are you sure about you and Zero, Steph?" That was an odd question.

"Why does this bother you Les? We like each other and we're both adults. What's wrong?" He looked at me searching my face for something. He placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Beautiful." He sounded sincere. I was about to ask him why he thought Zero would hurt me, but the door opened and Zero walked through with bags smelling like heaven.

He brought the food to me and Les stood up to leave. He kissed my head again and I heard Zero growl. Les chuckled as he stood and walked toward the door.

"I'm out. You guys have a good night. Steph, if you decide that you want some help with those stretches, just let me know. You have my number." Zero followed Les to the door and they had a brief whispered conversation before Zero joined me on the couch. He looked tense and upset.

"What was that all about?" Something Les said pissed him off.

"Nothing important. Let's eat and then we can watch a movie." He pulled the subs out and seemed to relax a little. I let the subject go when he placed the meatball sub with extra cheese in my hand. I would bring it up again later - after I finished eating this culinary masterpiece.

After dinner, I was once again exhausted. I think it had something to do with having a full stomach. Zero popped in Ghostbusters and we snuggled up on the couch together. He threw a blanket over our laps and soon I found myself cuddled into his warm embrace. His fingers were lazily drawing patterns on my bare arm and it didn't take long for me to go to sleep. The last thing I remembered was hearing Zero whisper in my ear. "I love you Steph, never doubt that no matter what happens. Sleep my love." Of course maybe I was dreaming already.

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A/N - I want to thank you all for the reviews and favorite/follows. I read each and every review and try to respond to them all, but if I missed yours then I apologize! I will try to do better.

The next chapter should be out on Friday. It will contain smut so if you don't like to read that, send me a PM and I'll tell you what happens in the chapter after the smut. : )


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **The characters that you recognize don't belong to me. I'm simply playing with them for a bit.

Thank you all for the reviews, follows/favorites. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story. As promised on Wednesday, there is smut in this chapter. If you don't want to read it, PM me and I'll tell you what else happens.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 5**

The next week passed in similar fashion. I stayed in my apartment at RangeMan and watched TV or napped. It was boring, but I had a steady stream of visitors that kept me occupied.

After a call to a very pleased Lester, he agreed to come by in the afternoons to help me with the stretching exercises. The first two days were killer, but he pushed me and I managed to do everything that he suggested. I found out that by day 5 of the daily stretches, I no longer needed to take the medications for pain so I was happy.

By the start of my second week of 'light duty', I had the full range of motion in my back and legs and the pain had decreased to a dull ache instead of the stabbing pain that took my breath away.

Ranger and most of the guys were busy on a big case so I didn't get to see much of them. Not that wanted to see Ranger. He was keeping his distance and I was fine with that. The pain of his rejection was dulling and I wanted to keep it that way. Seeing Zero every night helped that pain diminish more and more.

Zero and I spent every evening together in my apartment. He would bring the pizza or Chinese and I would arrange the movie or game. Every night I would fall asleep in his arms either on the couch or in my bed. We did a whole lot of making out, but he never took it any further. I think he was waiting for me to finish healing and to give him the green light. So one morning I did just that.

I woke up early wrapped in familiar arms. My back was pressed closely to a warm muscular chest and a heavy arm was tucked around my waist - it was possessive and comfortable at the same time. I've gotten used to waking up like this was going to miss it when I finally get to go back to my apartment.

I slowly turned my head and looked at the man behind me. It's very rare to catch one of the guys so relaxed and at peace. It made Zero look ten years younger. The lines around his eyes were relaxed and the hardness that you can usually see around his mouth was gone too. The hardness, however, was very pronounced at another place on his body. I couldn't help grinding my ass into it. Payment for my naughtiness was his low growl and hearing it made me giggle.

His arm tightened around me and pulled me in closer to him. His hand brushed my hair away and his lips found the back of my neck. He began trailing hot kisses around to my ear. The second his lips found the secret spot behind my ear, I was a pile of goo. He kissed, sucked, and licked all around my sensitive lobe and then slowly and gently rolled me over onto my back. He positioned himself above me and for the first time this morning, I got to look in his eyes. The amount of passion I saw was enough to send a gush of warmth to a very strategic place on my body.

"You feeling okay this morning, Breá?" His whispered words made my blood boil and sent a shiver through me.

"I'm feeling great." I raised my hips up gently to meet his and pressed my hot aching core into his impressive erection. I watched his eyes roll back and heard him suck in a breath. "You have something that could make me feel even better though." His eyes snapped back to mine, looking for something. He must have found it because his sexy smile slowly appeared and he lowered his luscious lips to mine. My mouth opened in immediate response. I wanted this man and I was going to have him.

Our lips melted together and our tongues stroked the other in loving caresses. Nothing was hurried and nothing was frantic. It was slow, it was tender and it was exceptional. When his lips left mine and began a slow trek across my jaw and down my throat, the only thing I could do was moan and enjoy the sensations that his lips were creating.

When he reached my pulse point, he spent minutes sucking and licking the area. My breathing was erratic and the fire burning between my legs was almost unbearable and he hadn't even gotten to second base.

His lips continued down to my collar-bone and then down to the top of my tank top. He paused long enough to remove the offensive article of clothing from my body then he continued his exploration with his tongue.

His tongue made a path of fire around my left breast. He circled my aching nipple, but never got close to it. He switched sides and continued his torture on the other breast. This time, when he got close to the nipple, he sucked it into his hot mouth and almost made me shoot off the mattress. I tried to hold myself back because I didn't want to hurt myself again or cause him to stop the glorious torture he was creating. He spent several minutes giving each breast equal attention. Whichever one wasn't being worshiped with his mouth, he plucked it and caressed it with his warm hand.

When he finally had enough with the northern peaks of my body, he gave each nipple a kiss before moving further south. He kissed my stomach and I about came undone again when he dipped his tongue into my navel. He kissed his way down to the top of my capri pants. He paused long enough for me to object but all I could do was pant and moan. Talking was out of the question and there was no way that I was going to object anyway.

I could feel his eyes on me and I raised my head to peer down my body to where he was laying resting his chin on my stomach. He was searching my face for permission or hesitation. When he saw what he wanted, he eased back and pulled my pants and panties off with a quickness that surprised me. When I was fully exposed to his gaze, he took a few minutes to fully appreciate me. His tender gaze made my heart beat even faster.

"God, Breá. You are so beautiful." His voice was husky and sounded sexy as hell. Just hearing his raspy proclamation was enough to send another gush of moisture to my aching core.

His eye caught the glistening of the moisture gathered there for him and he let out an long, deep growl before lowering his mouth to the place that I most needed him.

He began by kissing my lower lips, never parting them. He just placed light kisses on the outside, sometimes sucking them into his mouth. God that was frustrating. I squirmed and tried to direct him where I needed to go, but I only I felt him chuckle. The vibrations almost caused me to orgasm right then.

He finally took mercy on me and parted my soaking lips and placed a gentle kiss on my throbbing clit. That was enough to send me over the edge. I came hard and I could feel his eyes watch me as I came down from the orgasm.

"That was amazing to watch. I think I need to see it again." His mouth attacked my still tender pussy and he licked it from bottom to top and back again. My oversensitive clit was still hard and ready for more attention. He ran his tongue around the outside of it, but never put pressure directly on it. He was slowly building me back up to inferno level and I needed to release some of the pressure building.

He slid one finger into my soaking wet core and began pumping it in and out of me.

"So fucking wet, Stephanie. God is this all because of me?" His breath on my sensitive skin caused me to shiver. There was no way I could answer his question. I was too far gone. He got a whimper in response.

Hearing my moans and growls of pleasure was enough encouragement for him to continue. He added another finger and continued pumping, quicker now than before. I was close to flying again and he knew it. All at once, he curled his fingers inside me hitting THAT spot and at the same time sucked my clit into his mouth. I came, and I mean I CAME hard. The explosion of white light behind my eyes was so intense and blinding that I had to squeeze my eyes closed for fear of my eyes popping out of my head.

I could feel his fingers still pumping slowly inside of me and after he placed another gentle kiss on my swollen nub, he removed his fingers from me and stood back off the bed. I watched as he slowly removed his shirt, exposing a most impressive chest and stomach. I knew just from feeling him, that he was solid but seeing it was so much better.

After the shirt was gone, he placed his hands on the top of the boxer shorts that he was wearing and paused. His eyes found mine and I could see the questions floating through them. I decided to not only give him permission, I wanted to help him any way that I could.

I slowly worked my way to the end of the bed where he was standing. I sat myself strategically in front of him and placed my hands on top of his. I pushed his hands away and began to slowly push down his boxers. I paused to kiss the exposed skin as the shorts fell away. He tortured me, so I wanted to return the favor.

When I finally pushed the boxers past his erection and let them fall to the floor I got my first glimpse of his 'package'. To say that I was impressed was an understatement. Ranger and Joe were both well endowed men, but I think they were both lacking in comparison. I could feel Zero's gaze on me but I couldn't pull my eyes off the moisture gathered on the tip of his hard cock.

I licked my lips and brought my mouth to his head to suck that little bit of moisture off. I heard his breath hitch and his hand went straight to my head and buried itself in my curls. I let my tongue run around his sensitive tip and then sucked it into my mouth. I moved my tongue again over the slit and tasted more of him. That just made me hungry to taste more so I moved my mouth as far down on him as I could. There was no way to fit it all in my mouth, so what I couldn't fit got the attention of my hand.

I started the sucking slow and gentle, letting my tongue trail the vein underneath of his cock when I pulled back. I could hear his breathing change and felt his hand on my head guiding me. He never pushed me as far as to make me choke, but I knew he wanted to feel the back of my throat. I took him in my mouth again and relaxed my throat so I could take more of him. I loved feeling his cock in my mouth. It was so hard, yet so silky at the same time.

I upped the pressure and speed needing to taste him, but he halted my progress when I began to play with his balls. I knew he was close and I wanted him to cum, but he had other ideas.

He pulled back and I let his cock go with a pop. He stood for a second in front of me trying to gather his control. I smiled and leaned back on my arms. Looking at the naked man in front of me was amazing. His hands were fisted at his sides and his head was thrown back. His eyes were closed and his breathing was erratic. He finally got his control back and his eyes met mine. I could see the raw lust behind them and my body immediately responded to it.

I crooked my finger at him giving him the classic "come here" motion. It was the exact same thing he had done to me that night in the club. He smiled at me and slowly walked to where I was resting on the bed. I felt like I was being stalked by a dangerous animal, but I sure as hell wasn't going to run. I wanted him to devour me.

I scooted back up towards the head of the bed before he got to it and was resting back on a stack of pillows. He slowly crawled up from the foot and positioned himself on top of me. We spent a few minutes just kissing and touching the northern places on each others body. If either of us ventured to far south, we knew it would be over.

When I felt his cock at my entrance, I groaned. I was so hot and so wet. I was more than ready for his invasion. I was almost begging for it. Before he pushed in, he stopped kissing me and looked into my eyes once more.

"Are you sure, Steph? We can stop now if you need to." I looked into his eyes and seeing the concern he had for me made an ache form in my chest.

"I'm more than sure. I want this Noah. Please." I pushed my hips up taking him in a little bit. He moved his hips slightly away, pausing my forward movement.

"Do I need protection?" I knew all the guys were clean from STD's. It's part of their yearly physical so I wasn't worried about diseases. I was on birth control so that wasn't something that I had to worry about. I didn't want anything between us. I always made Dickie and Joe wear condoms because I didn't fully trust them. Ranger was the first man who had been inside me totally bare and it was amazing. I wanted to feel the same thing with Zero.

Instead of telling him, I slowly pressed my hips up further, taking him into my burning core. He got the hint and met me by pressing his hips into mine. When we were fully joined, we both paused. He felt amazing. I was still tight from my earlier orgasms and he was so freaking huge. I was thankful that he allowed time for me to adjust to him. I could tell he was using the time to reign in some more control. His brow was sweating and he was biting his lower lip. It was sexy as hell.

When he finally began to move inside of me, I couldn't describe the feeling. He set a slow but powerful pace. It wasn't hurried or frantic. It was deep and he made sure to touch places inside of me that have never been reached before. I clung to him and wrapped my long legs around his waist, taking more of him into me.

As his cock moved in and out of me, his tongue danced with mine and his hands were stroking my breasts and pinching my nipples. He created another inferno inside of me. God he felt so fucking good, but I suddenly needed more. He was treating me like glass and that wasn't going to work for me.

"I won't break, Noah. Please, fuck me hard." The surprise in his eyes was priceless, but my words were enough to snap the rest of his control. He placed one arm under my lower back and tilted my hips up slowly. He looked for any signs of discomfort, but surprisingly there were none. I only felt the fire burning inside of me and the increasing pressure of my impending orgasm.

He quickened his pace and with each thrust he brushed that perfect spot inside of me. My groans and moans encouraged him to go deeper and harder and before I knew it, I was flying over the cliff. My scream was loud and bounced off the room's walls. I barely heard his cry of release, but I sure felt him unload his hot cum inside of me. He continued to slowly work his cock in and out of me letting my muscles milk him dry as we both came down from our orgasms.

He collapsed on top of me for a second before rolling over onto his back, taking him with me. We were still joined and both sweaty from the work-out. Our breathing was ragged and neither of us could find words to speak.

His hands were running soothing strokes up and down my back he would occasionally place gentle kisses on my head which was resting right over his heart. I finally got the strength to move and began to lift off his semi-hard cock. When I moved, I felt it twitch and begin to grow inside me again. I thought I had enough orgasms a second ago, but suddenly felt that another one or two would be good.

He grabbed my hips and guided me up and down on his dick. He felt so good, that I didn't want to pull away from him. I loved this feeling of connection. I loved being this close to him. I loved the way his hands moved over my body as I rode him. I loved the way his lips felt on mine. I loved the feeling of him moving inside of me. I started to think that I loved him.

I paused at that thought. Shit. Did I really love Zero or was this just the hormones talking? He must have read some of my thoughts because he sat up and wrapped his arms around my waist. I was sitting is his lap with him still moving inside of me.

His lips met mine in a gentle kiss that spoke volumes. I could feel the respect and love that he had for me in that kiss. I could feel every emotion that he had.

"Don't think too much, Breá. Just feel." The whispered words were enough for me to let go and do what he suggested. I didn't think and I didn't try to analyze my feelings. For once in my life, I just felt.

When we came together, it wasn't with scream but with a quiet shuddering. I had tears streaming down my face and saw the glisten of tears in his. That was more than just sex and we both knew it. Our souls joined that day in my bedroom on the fourth floor of RangeMan. I became his and he became mine. I knew, then, that I was indeed in love with this man and I knew he felt the same too. I had a killer set of instincts and mine were telling me exactly Zero felt for me. My instincts had never been wrong before so why would they be wrong about this? I would soon find out just how wrong they were.

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A/N - Another chapter bites the dust. I was going to make them wait to have sex, but Zero got impatient and took control of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. The next one will be out on Monday! : )


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Characters do not belong to me, I'm just playing with them for a little bit. I promise to return them to JE when I am finished.

I need to thank my wonderful Beta, Rangergirl1234. She spent time making this story more enjoyable. I also need to thank EVERYONE who reviewed and/or added this story to their follow/favorite list. I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 6**

Zero and I spent the rest of that day in bed together. We got up to use the restroom and to get water, but never stayed apart too long. We made sure to stay in constant contact, both craving each others touch. We finally gave into sleep sometime later in the afternoon after I lost count of all the orgasms that I had. My back was a little sore, but Zero was always very conscious about it and never twisted me like a pretzel. He promised me that those positions were for when I was healed. I couldn't wait for those nights.

We were lying in bed after yet another round of love-making, me with my head on his chest, lightly running my fingertips over the tattoos that he had on his gorgeous skin. I've never been into getting inked, but I must admit that the designs on his body were exquisite.

"Do these have a special meaning?" I asked as I rubbed the symbols above his heart. I found them intriguing but was really asking about any or all of them.

"The symbols above my heart are Chinese. They say, 'my life for yours'. When I joined the Army, I honestly thought that I would never make it out. I thought that I would die in a war zone one day. I was prepared to die for my country. The tattoo just felt necessary. I'm willing to die protecting others." I placed a gentle kiss over the ink. It always amazes me to hear the guys talk about their willingness to die for someone who they've never met. As I lay there thinking, I realized that the thought of losing him scared the bejeezus out of me.

"Thank you for being willing to sacrifice yourself for me and other people. I'm glad you made it out though." He hugged me closer and continued talking to me.

"The tattoo on my right bicep is in memory of a good friend. We grew up together, went to high school together and joined the Army together. He died in combat three months after we first got deployed. He had a son at home that he never got to meet. I went to see his widow when I got back and got to meet his son. She named him after his father. We still keep in contact even after all these years. She's been a good mom and he's a really good kid." I could tell the loss of his friend still hurt him.

"What about the words across your shoulder blades. I don't know what it is, but it's beautiful. I love the Celtic design around the words. It's amazing work."

"Mura bhfuil tú i do chónaí as rud éigin, ansin beidh tú bás do rud ar bith. That's Irish for, If you don't live for something, then you'll die for nothing. It's just a reminder to live my life the right way. I don't want to die never accomplishing anything important." Sounds like a good way to live to me.

"So your second language is Irish? Most of the guys speak Spanish, but I'm not sure what other foreign languages you guys speak." I chuckled.

"Irish is my second language. I love the language and studied it while I was deployed. Basically I taught myself, but I can hold conversations with the most Irish person you know. I even spent some time in Dublin after I got out of the Army. I'll take you there someday." He kissed the top of my head and I snuggled down into his embrace more.

"I can also speak Spanish, Italian, French, and some Mandarin Chinese. I'm working on my Chinese skills and once that's done, I'll move on to something else." I was amazed. I barely spoke English well, and here he is speaking six different languages. A thought dawned on me about the nickname he gave me so I asked the question that had been plaguing me.

"So Breá is one of those languages? I'm closer to finding out what it means." He chuckled.

"Sounds like I'm helping the enemy. I need to keep my big-mouth shut." I playfully slapped his chest. I didn't want him to stop talking. I wanted to know everything about him.

"What about the other tattoos. The arm sleeve is intricate and I love the design inside of it." I was running my fingers lightly down his arm, tracing the patterns.

"The others don't really mean anything. I got them because they looked cool. I don't regret any of them like so many people do and will probably get more. Do they bother you?" He sounded worried about asking me that question.

"They don't bother me. I think they're sexy as hell. You've done a good job with the designs. The first time I met you I wanted to strip you down and inspect where else you had tattoos. I could see your arms, but I knew there had to be more." He laughed and kissed my head.

"You can inspect me anytime you want to, Breá." I laughed. I wanted to inspect more, but I was too damn tired right now. I felt him laugh again. I guess I said that out loud.

"Sleep, Steph. I'll be here when you wake up." Hearing that promise, I let myself fall asleep. As long as this man was with me, I felt complete.

I woke up a couple of hours later and I was alone in bed. I glanced toward the bathroom, but it stood empty. I started to get out of bed when the voices from the kitchen stopped me. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they sounded angry and were getting louder. I grabbed a shirt and threw it on to see what was going on.

I walked out to the kitchen to see Zero and Les standing toe to toe. Both had their fists clenched at their sides and they were yelling at each other. Unfortunately it was all in Spanish, so I couldn't understand them. I did understand their tone though and it wasn't pleasant. I knew they were talking about me and when I recognized the word, "puta", I was pissed. I took Spanish in high school, but I don't remember any of it except the dirty words and being called a whore was not something I could overlook.

"Excuse me? Who are you calling a whore? You best not be talking about me?" Zero and Les both flipped to face me with surprised looks on their faces. I guess they were focused on each other and not on their surroundings. Way to go guys.

"You understand Spanish?" Les looked sick and then I understood that 'whore' probably wasn't the worst thing they had said about me.

"Not all of it. I know the dirty words and I know 'puta' means whore. So tell me, Lester Santos, were you calling me a whore?" I was rapidly approaching rhino mode and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Les stuttered and stammered a few seconds before Zero stepped in to help him out.

"He wasn't calling you a whore, Breá. We were having a disagreement and Les decided to attack me verbally. He was just leaving." The last part was said with Zero staring daggers into Les. I didn't want anyone to leave until I knew what was wrong. I hated to see two friends fighting, and I hated it even more to think it's because of me.

"No one is leaving until I get some answers. I want to know what is going on. You guys are friends and you're about to kill each other." I looked from Zero who still looked pissed to Les who looked sheepish. Neither of them was talking and I was getting even more pissed off.

"Either of you have anything to say?" Crickets. Rhino mode in 5, 4, 3...oh fuck it!

"Fine! Both of you can get the fuck out. I want to know what is going on and since neither of you will open your fucking mouths to tell me, then you can just leave. Go to the mats and beat each other senseless." I turned and stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door. I grabbed some jeans and threw them on with the T-shirt. I ran a brush through my hair and pulled the mess back into a pony tail. I needed to get the hell out of the building and away from macho men who were acting stupid. I slipped on my tennis shoes and grabbed my coat.

I walked back out into the kitchen and both men were still standing there staring at each other. Neither of them had moved. I didn't say a word to them because they wouldn't of heard me anyway. I opened my door and walked out. I needed to find Tank and ask him for a set of keys to an SUV since my car was still parked at my apartment.

I exited the elevator on the fifth floor and saw Tank talking to the guys watching the monitors. He looked tired and stressed out.

"Tank, can I get a set of keys to an SUV, I need to get out of this building." I knew my tone of voice was pleading, but I didn't care. Tank looked at me worried and I could see his eyes searching the control room for something.

"Why don't you let me drive you wherever you need to go? I was just headed out to see Lula, so I can drop you off and pick you back up." Why the hell couldn't I drive myself? I didn't care at this point. I just wanted to leave.

"Fine! Can we go now, though?" I was impatiently tapping my foot. Tank noticed my impatience and ran to his office to grab his coat and keys. He reappeared a second later and led me to the elevator. As I was climbing into his giant SUV, I saw the door to the stairs open and Zero came running out. He noticed me with Tank and I recognized a flash of relief appear on his face. What the hell was that about?

Tank pulled out of the garage before Zero could get close to the vehicle. I let out a sigh of relief when we got a few blocks away from Haywood.

"Where to?" Tank kept his eyes on the road, but kept reaching down to where his phone was attached to his hip.

"Take me to Joe's house, please." He shot me a look and then focused back on the road. I knew what that look meant and frankly it pissed me off even more.

"Joe is a friend. That. is. all. What is with all the macho bull shit tonight with you guys? Zero and Les were in my apartment about ready to kill each other and now you're acting all possessive. I don't belong to RangeMan. I can have my own friends." I knew he didn't deserve to get both barrels, but once I started I just couldn't stop.

"I don't think you belong to us, and I don't know what's going on between Santos and Zero, but I intend to find out. I'm glad Joe's a friend. I just don't want you to fall into the same old patterns as before. The boss can't take that again." I assumed the patterns were my hopping in and out of bed with Joe. We had an on/off relationship that mostly consisted of sex. Why did Ranger care if I screwed the entire eastern shore?

"Your boss doesn't get to have a say about who I spend my time with. I don't question his free time so he doesn't get to question mine." Tank let out a small breath. Coming from him, that was huge. It was just like a full fledge hissy fit from me.

The rest of the trip to Joe's was done in silence, thank the Lord. I didn't want to hear anymore bullshit from Tank or anyone else tonight. The lights were on in the living room when we pulled up and I was out of the door before Tank even stopped the SUV.

"Thanks, I'll have Joe bring me back or I might just stay here tonight." I had no intention of spending the night WITH Joe, but I might sleep in the guest room to piss off the idiots back at Haywood.

I shut the door to the SUV and made my way to the front door. I could hear the TV on in the living room and I could picture the scene. I would find Joe on the couch with Bob lying on the floor in front of him. Pizza or Chinese take out boxes were sure to be spread out on the coffee table. There would probably be a game on the TV.

I didn't bother knocking, I just let myself in and could immediately smell the pizza. The scene however was different. Joe was on the couch, but he wasn't alone. His tongue was shoved down a petite blond woman's throat and her hand was fisted in his hair. They didn't heard me so I tried to sneak back out, but Bob ruined that plan. He noticed me backing out of the room and barked before he charged at me. That was enough to break Joe and his date's make out session. They both looked at me and I blushed. Joe was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Steph? Something wrong?" Hmmm, no 'Cupcake'. He must really like this woman.

"Nothing's wrong. I just needed a friend, but I can see that you're busy so I'll let myself out. I'm sorry for interrupting." I started to turn again, but was stopped by the woman's voice.

"Stephanie? Oh my God. You're THE Stephanie that Joey always talks about? It's so good to finally meet you." She stood and adjusted her disheveled clothes. She approached me and gave me a hug. I'm not a very touchy-feely person and I guess my unease showed on my face because I heard Joe laugh from his place on the couch.

"Yes, Karen. This is Stephanie Plum. Steph, the woman hugging you is Karen Holmes." I tried to pull away from the small woman, but she had a grasp on me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Karen. I can guarantee whatever Joe has told you about me were not all my fault." She laughed a rich infectious laugh and pulled away.

"He told me that you would say that." She looked back at Joe with a mischievous look. "I'm going to go and let you two talk. I've already broken every 'first date' rule that I have." She gathered her coat and purse and I watched as Joe walked her to the front door. He gave her a gentle kiss with a promise to call her the next day.

When he walked back past me he pulled me to the couch with him and we sat down together. I was leaning on his chest and our legs were both stretched out in front of us. This was how we always watched TV when we were together. It was comfortable.

"Wow, Joey. You're still quite the charmer aren't you?" I felt him chuckle behind me. He was always able to make girls forget their rules.

"What can I say, I have the gift!" I slapped his leg, but it was true. He did have a gift.

"So what's going on, Cupcake? You look like someone killed your dog." I didn't know I looked that bad. I didn't want to tell Joe about Zero and I, it felt entirely too weird.

"Same shit different day." I sighed. He didn't buy my lame excuse for my mood, but he didn't push for more either. We sat enjoying the silence until his phone beeped. I heard him cuss under his breath and knew that he got called into work.

"You gotta go?" I began to sit up so he could get off the couch.

"Yeah. Are you staying here or would you like a ride back to your apartment?" Hmm, I never thought about going home. I could get my car so I wouldn't feel as trapped at RangeMan.

"You wouldn't mind taking me home?" I stood off the couch with Joe's help.

"Nope. The crime scene is that direction anyway." We both put our coats on and walked out into the crisp night air. It was February so it was still a little bit nippily outside.

Joe let his SUV warm up before we took off toward my apartment building. He drove in silence and I stared out the window at all the passing houses and businesses. For once in my life, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I was quite happy with the silence in the car. I was able to get lost in my thoughts, but I guess I got a little too lost because Joe's voice broke me from my trance.

"You sure everything's okay, Steph? We've sat in your parking lot for five minutes." I turned toward him and smiled. It wasn't my normal smile, but it would work for now.

"Everything's fine. Thanks for the lift Joe." I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow. You need to tell me about Karen." He blushed when I closed the door and watched him drive off toward the newest crime scene that needed his expert detective skills.

I walked slowly up to my apartment. I didn't really need anything from here, but I just wanted some time to myself. The attitude around RangeMan was bothering me and I wasn't entirely sure why. It was like they were all trying to protect me, but I didn't know from what. I haven't had any stalkers lately so they shouldn't be worried about that.

I walked into my dark apartment and flipped on the lights. I had messages that I assumed were from my mother. I didn't want to deal with her right then, so I left those alone. I grabbed a bag and a few more clothes to work in. Maybe I would see if I could help Tank out with paperwork or something. I really didn't want to spend another week locked in the apartment.

I was too concerned about getting all my RangeMan uniforms in the bag and I didn't hear the front door open and close. I had no idea someone else was in my apartment until I heard him speak.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I don't have to go fishing for you, you landed right in my lap." I turned around abruptly and looked at the stranger occupying the doorway to my bedroom.

"Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want?" I didn't stutter, so that surprised me. I was scared as hell, but I wasn't letting it show. I discretely reached into my pocket and pressed the panic button that I always make sure to carry. I might have been independent, but I wasn't stupid.

"Let's just say that we have a mutual friend and I need you to give him a message for me. As for who I am..." In a second, he was across the room and I was thrown against the wall. He pushed himself into me and white hot pain shot through my back bringing tears to my eyes. "I'm your worst fucking nightmare. You will wish for death by the time I'm done with you." His hands roughly grabbed my breasts and I started to count seconds. I knew RangeMan was coming so I just had to hold on to my sanity for a little bit. The guys would rescue me, they always did before.

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A/N - Sorry this is late getting out today, but I promised an update on Monday and I've got 2.5 hours to spare. I hope you enjoyed it. The next one will be out on Wednesday!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

Thank you all for the reviews and favorite/follows. Your encouragement keeps me posting! I promised this chapter on Wednesday and I was going to post it after I woke up, but a faithful follower let me know that technically, 12:01 is in fact Wednesday. So, DragonflyFriday...this is for you!

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 7**

Ranger strategically placed his building in Trenton so he and his men could respond to any alarm in the city by at least fifteen minutes. I've timed the guys response time to my apartment before, and it was around nine and a half minutes. It had been around twenty minutes and they were still not there.

For twenty minutes, I had to allow that man to grope and grab me. He removed my clothes in the first five minutes. His were still on, thank God, but I could feel his desire building and I knew his were going to come off soon. I blocked what he was doing to me out of my mind. I couldn't think about it. I didn't want to.

The first time he tried to kiss me, I bit his tongue. That little act of rebellion got me a nice long cut down my chest from the wicked looking knife that I had no idea he held. I learned after that cut to stop fighting. He wouldn't have a problem killing me. I was sure of that.

At around the fifteen minute mark, his fingers entered me, roughly. I did my best to hide the revulsion even though it hurt terribly. I was dry and unprepared for his assault. I turned my head away and swallowed the bile that I had in my throat. I couldn't turn my self anymore because the pain in my back was too intense, I couldn't kick or move my legs because he had them pinned with his body. All I could do was scream and cry and when I did that, it turned him on more so I stopped. I tried my best to detach myself from the situation.

Twenty minutes of being assaulted by this man. Twenty minutes and no sign of my heros. Maybe I didn't press the button hard enough. Maybe they were pissed and didn't really care that I needed help. No, I couldn't accept that. I heard the sound of a belt buckle being released and the sound of a zipper and I knew my time in denial land was almost over. I was going to be raped and there wasn't a whole lot I could do to stop it.

"Now, my beauty. Why don't you go down and give little Leroy a kiss." He pressed my head down so I was level with his disgusting crotch. I almost vomited on it, and the more I thought about it made me realize that maybe I should have.

"If you try anything I will kill you; but only after cutting you all over your luscious body." He held the knife right beside my neck as he guided my mouth to him. I was just about to take him in my mouth when the apartment door burst open. Finally!

He picked me up and wrapped his arms around my waist and neck. He still held the knife in his hand and I was, unfortunately, still naked with blood running down my front from the wound on my chest.

"Guess our play time is over for now. Let me have this conversation and we'll resume our time together." He licked the side of my face. His breath smelled like stale cigarettes and cheap whisky. The smell alone about made me want to puke. Add in the fact that his nasty tongue was touching me and I started to heave.

It felt like we stood in the corner of the room for hours. I knew someone else was in the apartment, but they hadn't shown themselves in the bedroom. I felt the tingle, so I knew Ranger was here. My unknown assailant knew it too.

"The big bad Ranger decided to join the fun. You know who I am and why I'm here. The question is do you care about the snatch that I have in my arms?" I could feel the man behind me chuckle as his hands roamed over my naked body.

"What do you want, Leroy?" Ranger finally appeared in the doorway and I could tell by expression that he was close to losing control. Most people wouldn't see it, but his jaw was clenched and his eyes were hard and his hands were in tight fists.

"You can't give me what I want. You took it away from me. Now, I'm going to take your play toy away. Eye for an eye, right?" His hand grabbed my breast roughly and I cringed. I kept my eyes locked on Ranger's - looking for any hint of a plan. All I saw was rage.

"She's not mine. Never has been, and never will be." Ouch. That hurt more than I was willing to admit at that moment. The tears started to fall with Ranger's proclamation.

"Let her go and you and I will have a nice long chat. What do you say, Leroy?" Ranger was slowly working his way into the room and around the bed to where we were standing.

"She's too sweet to let go. You'll have to pry her from my dead cold fingers." He used the hand around my waist to move his fingers down and shoved them inside of me again. I yelled out in pain at the sudden intrusion. Ranger's jaw clenched more when he saw what the guy did.

Ranger kept walking around toward us and Leroy kept turning so we were facing him. He wasn't paying attention to the other men who were standing in the open doorway. Zero held one gun pointed at the guy's head and Les held another pointed in the same spot.

"If you let her go, maybe I'll spare your life. If you harm her again in any way then all bets are off and you'll die a very slow and painful death. You fucked with the wrong man." Ranger's words were harsh and I could hear the venom dripping from them. If the guy was smart, he would let me go. But apparently he wasn't very smart. He slipped the fingers out from between my legs and then stuck them in his mouth. The moan he let loose was enough to push Ranger's control over the edge.

"Zero." The fast command was all the man needed to hear to pull the trigger. In that instant time slowed down. I heard the gun shot a felt the blood splatter on me from the guy's brain exploding behind me. I felt his knife slice through my shoulder and before I was dragged to the ground with his corpse, I was grabbed into strong arms and wrapped in Ranger.

I didn't even realize that I was crying until I heard Ranger whispering in my ear.

"Shhh, querida. I've got you now. You're safe. Breathe Babe. Just breathe." His soothing words were calming, but I was still crying and couldn't calm myself. Suddenly I heard Ranger yelling for Bobby and I knew something was wrong. I wanted to calm down, and I wanted to talk to the guys, but I couldn't.

Darkness swarmed around me and the frantic voices around me became distant. I knew that I was going to loose consciousness and right before the darkness engulfed me, I heard Zero's voice beside me.

"Please don't leave me, Breá. I need to see your gorgeous eyes. Can you open them for me?" He sounded so worried and I wanted to assure him that I was okay, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything but let myself get carried into the nothingness of sleep.

I'm not sure how long I was unconscious. I could hear snippets of conversations and frantic doctors yelling orders back and forth. I heard angry voices from the guys when they were asked to leave the room. I assume that the guys were eventually forced to leave the room because the tension left with them. The doctors calmed and I felt gentle hands working on me. My thoughts were somewhere between consciousness and dreamland. I stayed somewhere between the two as I continued to hear bits of information as the medical personnel worked on me. I assume they were able to fix whatever was wrong with me. I didn't care. I let sleep claim me once more while they worked.

When I woke again, the room was dark. I heard the steady beep of the heart monitor and could feel the tubes in my nose forcing oxygen into me. I didn't hear any talking or any other noises outside that of a normal hospital room. That surprised me. I expected the guys to be sitting by my bed.

When I finally got my eyes opened I looked around and noticed only one person in the room with me. Joe was lounged back in the guest chair and his eyes were closed. He was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. He looked exhausted even in sleep.

I tried to reach my call button to get the nurse but I couldn't quite reach it. I flopped back onto my bed in a huff and made a disgusted sound. That noise was enough to wake up Joe and he was beside my bed in a second.

"Cupcake. Thank God you're awake! We've been so worried." He placed a kiss on my head. Maybe I had been asleep longer than I thought.

"What day is it?" I rasped out. My voice was rough from not being used and my throat was raw.

"It's Thursday, Steph. You've been asleep for two and a half weeks." Holy shit. No wonder he looked like shit.

"Two and a half weeks? What the hell happened to me?" I vaguely remembered being attacked in my apartment, but nothing happened to cause me serious injury. Joe looked uncomfortable at my question.

"What's the last thing you remember?" He pulled the chair closer to my bed and grabbed my hand.

"I remember being attacked and then Ranger and the guys coming to rescue me. I heard a gun shot and then...well, then nothing. I have vague memories of conversations, but nothing concrete. Why was I asleep that long? Nothing serious medically happened to me." I had tears running down my face. I couldn't believe I slept that long.

"I know it's scary, Cupcake; but everything is okay. The doctor warned us that your body and mind just might need that extra time to heal from the attack. You were sexually assaulted and cut with a knife. You needed some time to come to terms with that. The doctors weren't worried, but we sure as hell were." Joe's explanation made me feel a bit better.

"So nothing is wrong with me?" I clutched his hand in mine.

"No. Your stitches have already been removed and you should be good to go after the doctors do a few more tests. I need to call them and RangeMan. Yesterday was the first day that Ranger left your bedside. And his guy Zero wasn't any better. They fought over who got to be in the room with you." Joe shook his head and chuckled. "You've got two men fighting over you again, Cupcake. Didn't you learn from me and Manoso?" I rolled my eyes. I didn't know how I got myself into those positions.

"Go call whoever you need to, but I want to talk to the doctor before anyone else gets here." He nodded and left the room to get the doctor. I caught a brief glance of the two men in black positioned outside my door. I prayed they didn't call their boss before I was ready.

The doctor came hustling in my room a few minutes after Joe left.

"Ms. Plum. I'm so glad to see you awake again. Detective Morelli said you wanted to talk to me?" He smiled at me and grabbed my chart.

"Well yeah. I guess I want to know what's wrong with me." He put my chart down and smiled again.

"Nothing is wrong with you. You had a couple cuts that we were able to clean and suture, but those stitches were removed a couple of days ago. Both wounds are healing nicely. The trauma you sustained from your attack didn't cause any lasting damage, physically. The mental damage was enough for your body to demand rest. You've been asleep for two and a half weeks. We knew there was nothing physically wrong with you, so we allowed you to remain asleep so you could heal. We kept you fed and hydrated through tubes. We knew that you would wake up when you were ready, and we were right. How do you feel?" I tried to digest everything he said.

"I feel fine. I don't hurt anywhere except my breasts, they are a little tender. My back doesn't hurt and the cuts don't seem to bother me. So, I am perfectly healthy? I just needed the sleep to heal from the mental trauma." The doctor nodded.

"I'm going to order some blood tests and some other things before I release you, but if everything comes back normal; you should be out of here by tomorrow morning. Do you have any other questions?" I shook my head and watched as the doctor walked out of the room.

I was left alone for a few minutes to think about what the doctor had said. I couldn't believe that I had been asleep for two and a half weeks. I really must have needed that time.

I heard a faint knock on my door before it was opened and Joe stuck his head in.

"Is it okay if I come back in?" I smiled and nodded. At least he asked permission first.

"Ranger and Zero are outside and want to see you. Are you ready to see them? It's okay if you're not, I'll tell them to come back later." I thought about it for a moment. Was I ready to see them?

"You can send them in. I need to talk to them." He nodded and kissed my forehead before exiting the room again.

The door opened a few seconds later and Ranger stepped through with Zero right behind him. The looks of relief on their faces warmed my heart. Ranger walked around to one side of my bed and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Babe. It's so good to see your beautiful blue eyes again." I smiled as he stroked down my face with his rough fingers.

"Sorry I scared all of you. The doctor has already told me what happened and I guess I just needed the rest." Ranger nodded.

"Yeah, Bobby agreed with the doctors here. We just wanted you back with us." He glanced up at Zero who was standing on the other side of my bed. I smiled and took his hand in mine. The gesture wasn't missed by Ranger.

"I hope you aren't in trouble for killing that guy. I can't stand to think of you going to prison for protecting me." Zero smiled the sexy smile and bent down to place a kiss on my lips. I heard Ranger growl but didn't care. I was being kissed by Zero.

"I'm not in trouble, Breá. The cops deemed it justifiable homicide. After they saw what he did to you and after we told them our witness statements, they were more than happy to call it case closed. I would do anything to protect you, Steph." He kissed me again.

"So I guess my only question is, who the hell was he? I wasn't aware that I had a stalker until he was standing in my bedroom with me." I looked to Zero first who stared daggers at Ranger then I turned and looked at Ranger. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole.

"The man was Leroy Alvarez. I was tasked to pick up his wife in Atlanta about six months ago. She ran a brothel and was starting to get into the human trafficking trade when the warrants came down. I was the one who led the takedown that led to her death. She was waiting for us with a gun and killed herself before we could stop her. Her husband blamed me for her death even though she pulled the trigger." He paused and wiped a tear that I didn't know escaped from my eye.

"I'm so sorry that he found you. I wanted to protect you from this type of thing. This is why I don't do relationships." I rolled my eyes and turned toward Zero. I didn't want to hear his excuses anymore. I've heard them before and they don't change. I was so tired of hearing the same story over and over.

The nurse came in before I could ask any more questions. She drew four vials of blood and pulled the curtain around my bed for some sense of privacy. She quietly asked me about the tenderness in my breasts. There were faint bruises from the assailant's hands, so I assumed the pain was from them. She then excused herself with the vials of blood after opening the privacy curtain and told me someone would be in to take me to radiology for some more tests. I smiled and nodded.

"If everything checks out, I get to go home tomorrow." I was happy about that. I wanted to go home.

"Where is home, Babe?" Ranger's voice was soft and almost sounded timid.

"Well, if the apartment on four is still available I would like to stay there. I don't think I can go back to my apartment. I'll look for somewhere else to live." Ranger and Zero both smiled at me. God they were sexy men. I heard a commotion at the door and a poor nurses aide was stumbling over the wheel chair she was pushing. Poor girl didn't stand a chance against these men.

"You can stay there as long as you need Babe. We'll talk about it more when you get back from your tests. I'll be waiting here for you." I accepted the aides help to get into the wheel chair and glanced toward Zero.

"Will you be here too?" He smiled and nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere until you do. Promise." He kissed my head and let the aide take me from the room. I wasn't gone long and was quickly returned to my room. I heard the voices before we got to the door and I wasn't going to like what I found when the door was opened.

Zero and Ranger were toe to toe both speaking in angry Spanish, much like I found Zero and Les a few weeks ago. They didn't even notice the aide and I when we entered the room, but she cleared her throat to get their attention. In a second they were both back under control and by my side helping me back into bed. The aide excused herself and I got positioned in the bed. I was ready to confront the two men in the room with me. I'd had enough of this bullshit. It needed to end now.

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A/N - well, we found out who the mystery man was but not what's going on with the guys. You all have to wait until Friday to find that out! : )

I did the final edit of this chapter on my iPad so excuse the typos that I missed. Also, I'm not a medical professional so I used some creative liscense in Steph's condition.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Characters that you recognize don't belong to me. I'm simply using them for some fun and I'm not making a profit.

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their favorite/follows. Your excitement to see what happens is what keeps me posting regularly.

Thanks to my beta Rangergirl1234. She's done an amazing job fixing all of my silly mistakes.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 8**

"So which one of you is going to tell me what's going on? This is the second time that I've seen you ready to fight one of your friends, Noah. Care to share why that is?" He looked down sheepishly and Ranger glared daggers at me when I used his real name. Yet, neither of them spoke.

"You know. This is exactly the reason I left RangeMan that night. Something is going on and no one is telling me what it is even though it OBVIOUSLY concerns me." I was really trying not to get worked up. I wanted to get answers and that wouldn't happen if I started yelling or cried.

"Babe, I can assure you that everything is fine. Zero and I were having a conversation about his **job assignment**." I could hear the anger when he said the last two words. I didn't understand what that meant but I doubted that their attitudes were totally about work.

"So all of this animosity and anger is about work?" I scoffed. They knew I didn't believe them.

"Yeah, Steph. Ranger and I don't see eye to eye about something, and we were discussing it when you got back. It's no big deal." Still not convinced. I was about to open my mouth again when the doctor reappeared in my room.

"Ms. Plum. I have some results for you." I held up my hand to stop him from talking again. For some reason, I didn't want the guys to hear what he had to say. I needed privacy.

"I'm glad you both are here, but I think it's time for you both to go. You need to go work out whatever bullshit is bothering you two. If you want me to be anywhere near you guys after I get out of the hospital, this..." I pointed to the two of them and their obvious tension. "...needs to stop. I don't like my parents, but I will go stay with them if this shit is still going on tomorrow." Ranger nodded his head but still stared daggers at Zero. Zero looked ashamed and then slowly nodded.

"I'll be back later Babe. I want to know what the doctor said." With a quick kiss on my lips, he left the room. Zero growled at the kiss.

"I'll stop by after my shift tonight, Breá. We need to talk about some things and I need to know that you're okay." He gently kissed my lips before leaving.

"Wow, they're intense." The doctor chuckled after both men left my room. "Hopefully I have good news for one of them." I looked at him confused. What good news could he have for one of them.

"I can see you're confused so I'll get on with it. Ms. Plum. Congratulations, you're pregnant." He smiled, but the smile faded when he saw my reaction. I couldn't be pregnant. I use birth control. I'm not ready to be a mom.

"Ms. Plum, you need to breathe. You need to take some deep breaths. I can tell this is a shock for you." Shock. That was putting it lightly.

"I can't be pregnant. I take my pill every day. I'm anal about popping that little thing. I have an alarm on my phone set to remind me to take it. I never miss a dose. This has to be a mistake." My eyes were pleading with him to tell me that it was a joke, but he didn't.

"I can assure you that there is no mistake and no form of birth control is one hundred percent effective. You are, in fact, pregnant. We can do an ultrasound to find just how long you are, but from the amount of hCG in your blood I would say you are just about three weeks. Give or take a few days. And since you've been in the hospital for two and a half weeks, I would say you conceived the day of or before you came here. Does that fit a time frame that you remember?" Of course it did. I was with Zero the day before and the day of my attack. Well shit! I was pregnant.

"Yeah. I know exactly when it happened. No ultrasound necessary." He laughed and nodded. "So is everything okay with the baby? I mean, the attack and my semi-coma?"

"We're going to bring in an OB/GYN for a consult and he'll probably still want to do an ultrasound to check for any issues, but you didn't miscarry and you seem to be doing fine. This explains the tenderness in your breasts. The nurse caught on and asked me to test for this possibility." The doctor grabbed my chart and began writing furiously. I'll never understand how anyone can read those notes.

"Okay. Thanks for the information. Can you please not tell anyone else about this? I know Bobby Brown has spoken with you about my condition, but I want to keep this to myself until I can tell the father." The doctor nodded and kept writing.

"Of course. I only share what you want me to. This will be kept between us. I'll order that consult and we'll get you out of here asap. Congratulations, again." He left the room and I heard him whistling as he walked away. Freaking chipper doctor. Makes me want to call him back and punch him in the face. He was whistling while I sat there freaking out.

A baby? I'm seriously going to have a baby? I'm not ready. Zero and I aren't really even seeing each other. Well, we see each other naked but I don't think that counts. We've gone on two dates for fuck sake. How could this happen?

I was left alone with my thoughts for two hours. Then an aide came and took me to another exam room for my OB/GYN consult. The doctor was friendly and talked me through all the procedures before he did anything. He asked me to pee in a cup and then did the exam.

He informed me that everything looked good and there were no visible problems. He estimated my conception date based on the ultrasound to the exact time I suspected. The first time Zero and I had sex. Well, I guess it could have technically been the second time that day, but you get my drift. He gave me a bottle of prenatal vitamins and made me a follow-up appointment with him for next month.

I was exhausted when I got back to my room, so the second the door closed behind the aide I was asleep. I guess the two and a half weeks I slept before wasn't quite enough.

When I woke hours later, I was aware of two things. There were people in the room with me and they were once again talking. This time, however, they weren't talking in a different language and they didn't sound angry. I decided to eaves drop to see what I could learn.

"So are they a couple now?" That sounded like Bobby.

"I guess. They were together the entire night before the attack. I warned him not to hurt her, but I don't see how else this is going to end." That was Lester.

"I can't believe he stepped in like that and just took her." Bobby laughed.

"I can't either. Ranger is pissed. He was ordered to protect her, not to fuck her." What the hell were they talking about?

"If Ranger would have just pulled his head out of his ass and asked her out that Valentine's Day, then none of this would have happened." Bobby had a valid point.

"You know Ranger is never going to do that. He only took out what's her name to draw the attention from Beautiful. He doesn't want her to have a target on her." I'm so confused.

"Yeah, well now he lost her for good. I don't see Zero stepping down voluntarily." Bobby chuckled again.

"He might not have a choice. Ranger is thinking about firing him and shipping him to Siberia. I can't believe he used her like he did. His girlfriend was pissed when she found out about their dates." Girlfriend? He told me she dumped him.

"Well, she had a right to be pissed. Man up and tell her what's going on. He's going to hurt Bomber and then we'll all be pissed at him." I heard Les grunt in agreement and the conversation ended. I felt the tears form in my eyes and couldn't stop them from falling. Les noticed first.

"Beautiful? Are you in pain? What's wrong?" He and Bobby were beside my bed in an instant. I opened my eyes and looked at the men.

"Tell me what's going on. I heard your conversation and I need to know everything." Bobby and Les both looked sick.

"I'm sorry, Bomber. We didn't mean for you to hear any of that. The nurse said that you would be asleep for a while." Bobby was pushing my hair out of my face.

"I don't care if you meant for me to hear it. I want to know what the fuck is going on." My voice got louder with each word and the guys backed up away from the bed and I was yelling by the end of my rant.

Before they could say anything, the door burst open and Ranger and Zero stepped in together. Perfect. I was finding out what was going on right now.

"Perfect timing. The two main players in this whole fucked up mess. Go ahead, Les. Tell me what you meant when you said that 'he was ordered to protect me, not fuck me.'" I was beyond pissed and looked at Ranger and Zero who were standing at the foot of the bed.

"Beautiful. I think you need to calm down if..." Oh hell no. He's not getting out of this.

"Tell me now, please. Because my mind is going to really bad places and I need to know the truth." I pleaded with the man beside me. I could still feel the tears running out of my eyes and I didn't do a thing to stop them. I heard all four men sigh and I knew that whatever they were going to tell me was going to be bad.

"Babe, this whole ordeal started a few days before Valentine's Day. I got word that an enemy of mine, Leroy Alvarez, had targeted you. I've already told you the back story on him. He spotted us when we were together and thought that we were a serious couple. When the guys arranged the group date, I decided to take someone else out in public so he would think I dumped you." He paused trying to gather his thoughts. Thinking of him with someone else used to make my heart hurt, but strangely it didn't anymore.

"While we were all at the restaurant that night, I got a call that Alvarez was in Trenton and was looking for you. My plan didn't work and I panicked. I called to get your location from the trackers you carry and found out you were at the club. Luckily, RangeMan was doing security that night so I had guys close." He paused and looked at Zero.

"Breá, I want you to know something before I tell you the rest. I have never lied to you. Everything I told you was the truth." I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Zero walked around the bed and took the place where Lester was standing. He took my hand in his and wiped the tears off my face.

"Ranger knew I was working that night as a security guard inside the club so he called me to update me on the situation. I was ordered to protect you at all costs. That's what I did. I figured if I could get you to let me take you home, then I could guarantee that you got there safely." He looked down ashamed. "I never meant to hurt you, but I know you're going to see this whole situation as a betrayal. I've been in love with you for years, but never had the balls to tell you. Getting this assignment gave me the courage to step up and let you know exactly how I felt." The tears were flowing out of my eyes now. I couldn't believe what they were telling me.

"So let me get this straight. You were ordered to protect me that night so that's why we went to dinner after your shift was over. What about the next day? Was that an order too?" I couldn't stop the tears.

"Steph, please calm down baby. I hate to see you cry." Zero wiped the tears away and gripped my hand in his. "Dinner that night wasn't part of my assignment. That was me, Noah, asking you out so that you could get to know me better. I wanted to give you the chance to see the real me." He looked at Ranger and shook his head. "I was ordered, by Ranger, to take you out the next day to see if Alvarez would make a move. What I didn't count on was how fun it was to spend time with you. I got lost in my assignment and I forgot the real reason for us to be outside. Spending the day with you was absolutely amazing." I felt sick when I thought about that day.

"That text you got while we were in the park...they all were watching us, weren't they?" He lowered his head and nodded. That's why he got so tense. He forgot they were there and that all of this was just part of his job.

"What about your girlfriend. You told me that she dumped you, but Les said she was a little pissed when she found out that we had gone out." Zero glared at Les before turning back to me.

"We decided before Valentines Day that we were going to take a break. She thought there was someone better for her out there and she wanted to find him. She didn't and then decided that she wanted back in my life. The second you gave me a chance and the second that I kissed you, I knew that there was no other woman for me. You are what I want, Steph and what I need. I told her that it was permanently over between us." I couldn't believe this was happening.

"When Alvarez didn't show when we were out we decided that you needed to be in a safer environment so we worked on a way to get you to RangeMan. The injury with your back gave us that opportunity. We were so happy when you agreed to stay in the building so we could keep you safe." Zero paused and looked at my tear-stained face. "Those nights that we spent together in your apartment were all me, Breá. As much as I had fantasized about being with you, I never thought that it would happen. When we had sex that first time, I knew that there is no way that I was ever going to let you go." I heard three deep growls when he brought up us sleeping together.

"I can't believe you, Noah. Our whole relationship, no matter how short it was, was based on an order from your boss. Why couldn't you just tell me the truth? If you honestly cared, you would have told me the truth." The tears rolled down my face again and I turned away from him. I couldn't even look at him without my heart feeling like it was going to explode.

The room was quiet for several minutes. The guys were lost in their own thoughts and I was trying to decide how to say what I needed to say to them. I finally got my words and my courage and looked at the three men standing around my bed.

"I would like to speak to Ranger alone. Could you guys please leave us?" It wasn't exactly a request and I knew they understood. Zero started to refuse, but Les punched him in the arm and pointed to the door. All three of them left the room and soon it was just Ranger and I.

"I can't believe you did this. You, of all people, know how much I hate to be kept in the dark when it comes to my safety. It was one of the reasons that Joe and I kept breaking up. He constantly refused to tell me things that I had a RIGHT to know. Why would you betray my trust like that? Why would you disrespect me like that?" I was sobbing by the end of my questions. I have never felt more betrayed before and it hurt.

"I was just trying to protect you, Babe. We weren't in a really good spot in our relationship and I didn't feel I had a right to order you to a safe house. I honestly didn't think you wanted to see me at all." He lowered the side rail down and sat beside me on the bed. I felt his arms around me and I was pulled into his warm embrace.

"I've never wanted you out of my life. I loved you Ranger and I trusted you. You betrayed that trust and I don't know if I can forgive you. You should have told me the truth. Had I know about Alvarez, I wouldn't have been in my apartment alone that night and I wouldn't have been attacked." I felt his shoulders drop and heard him let out a deep breath.

"I think you need to leave Ranger. I need time to process all of this and I can't do that with you here." He began to protest, but I placed a finger up to his lips.

"Please. Just give me time. I don't know how this is going to affect our friendship. You knew how important trust is to me, but you didn't care about any of that. You took away my choices and made a decision without even talking to me. I'm sorry, but I can't just forgive that so soon." He looked deep into my eyes and I saw the sadness and regret in his eyes. I felt sorry for him, but I couldn't forgive and forget that fast.

"I'm so sorry, Babe. Please don't shut me out. I need you in my life." I knew how he felt. I needed him too, but right now I couldn't stand to be around him.

"Just give me time." I whispered. He gave me a lingering kiss on my lips and I could taste the salt from his tears. I looked and saw them trailing down his face. Seeing them only made me cry harder.

"Goodbye Ranger." He nodded. "Goodbye Babe." I watched him walk out of the door and then curled up into a ball and cried. Huge wracking sobs that made my whole body shake and tremble. After I finally got myself under control and the tears stopped, I heard a faint knocking on the door. I was about to tell whoever it was to go away when Zero poked his head in. I knew I needed to talk to him too so I motioned for him to come in.

He sat in the same spot that Ranger had just vacated and took my hand in his.

"Stephanie, I am so sorry. I know that you probably can't forgive me right now, and I understand, but please don't shut me out of your life. I fell in love with you years ago, and spending time with you has only made that love grow stronger. I can't imagine my life without you in it." His eyes were shining with unshed tears. Mine, I couldn't keep back. I blame the pregnancy hormones. I knew I had to tell him about the baby, but I was so hurt and mad that I just wanted some time to get my emotions and my thoughts in check. I needed space to figure out what I really wanted.

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that you couldn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. I'm sorry that I let myself start to fall in love with you. I'm sorry that I don't think I can be around you right now. Ranger's betrayal hurt because he has always been my friend. YOUR lies and the dishonest way you went about this relationship broke my heart." I paused to wipe the tears off my face and then off of his. I knew I was hurting him, but I honestly didn't care at that point. Well, I cared but figured turn about is fair play. He hurt me, so I needed to hurt him.

"I need space. Please honor that." He nodded and then stood up from the bed.

"I'll always love you Breá, and I will be waiting for you. I wasn't lying when I told you that you were the one for me. I will never love anyone like I love you. I hope you believe that one day." He pressed a kiss to my lips and then rested his forehead against mine. "I love you Stephanie Plum" was his whispered phrase before leaving me alone in my hospital room.

"I love you too, Noah Wilson." Of course he didn't hear me because he was already through the door.

When the door closed behind him, the almost silent click that echoed through the room was deafening. My heart broke with that sound. I've lost everything that day. I lost my freedom with the news of the baby. I lost my support system when the guys decided to lie to me and play stupid games with my life. I lost my best friend and I lost the man I loved. What was I going to do now?

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A/N - So now we know why the guys were acting so weird. Are you surprised, disappointed or did you like the turn of events. Let me know. I'll have the next chapter up on either tomorrow or Sunday. : )


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Characters aren't mine. I'm simply playing with them for a bit.

Thank you all for the reviews and fav/follows. I'm so glad that you all are enjoying this story. This chapter hasn't been beta'd so please excuse all the mistakes.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 9**

After both men walked out of my hospital room that day, my heart felt empty. It felt like it was never going to be whole again and I desperately needed it to be whole. I hated feeling that emptiness and this loneliness. I hated where my life had led me. I was an unwed soon-to-be-mother. The father of the baby lied to me at the very start of our relationship and I couldn't trust him. He didn't even know about the life we had created.

As I laid it that hospital bed, I thought about what I was going to do after I got out of the hospital. I couldn't go back to my apartment. That was where I was attacked and I sure as hell didn't feel safe there anymore. I couldn't go back to RangeMan because I didn't trust the guys anymore. Some of them must have known what was going on and not one of them warned me. I realized that the tension between Les and Zero had been because of the lies, yet Les never said a thing to me about it. It hurt that they all betrayed me like that.

I didn't want to go back and live with my parents. My mom would be all over me about settling down and starting a family. She'll shit down both legs when she finds out that I'm pregnant and not planning on seeing the father again for a while. Once she found out that I was pregnant, she would have my wedding planned in a week and I refused to get married to someone just because I got knocked up. It wasn't 1950 anymore, but trying to tell my mom that was difficult.

It was disheartening when I realized that I had nowhere to go. I heard a knock on my door again and before I could respond, Joe stepped through.

"What happened to your guard dogs? I thought maybe you got discharged when I didn't see anyone standing outside your door." Hearing that caused the tears to fall again. Ranger pulled the guard detail off my door because I asked for space and since the threat was gone, they were no longer needed. Joe saw my tears and immediately wrapped me in his arms.

"Cupcake, please tell me what's going on. I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is." I needed to tell someone and Joe was the only person who I trusted right then.

I opened my mouth and told him everything. From mine and Ranger's sex only relationship, to Valentine's Day, to the stalker, to Zero, to the attack, to the TRUTH from the guys, and finally I told him about the baby. He listened the entire time and didn't interrupt. He held me closer when I cried and wiped the tears off of my face. At the end of my fucked up life story, I collapsed back on the bed exhausted. Joe let out a long sigh and ran his hands through his hair.

"What do you want to do, Stephanie?" His voice was full of concern so the full name didn't bother me like it normally did.

"I need to get away. I need some time to think about all of this shit, but I don't have anywhere to go." He thought for a second and then smiled. He grabbed his phone and raised his finger in the 'one second' motion. I heard him talking on his phone, but was too distracted to follow the conversation. After a few minutes he hung up and smiled at me again.

"How does Ohio sound?" I had no clue what he was talking about and I honestly didn't even know where Ohio was in the country.

"Huh?" Eloquent I know, but it had been a rough day.

"I have a friend who is trying to sell his house in Greenville Ohio. He's willing to let you live there for as long as you need or until the house sells. It's fully furnished because he moved into his new wife's house in New York. He didn't need any of the furniture." Sounded good so far.

"I can't pay him rent or anything. I have no money and I doubt I find a job." Joe shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. The house is standing empty and it's a fact that houses sell faster when there is someone living in them. He agreed to let you stay there for free if you help keep the house clean and show it to people who are interested in buying it." Joe brushed some hair away from my face and smiled at me.

"Think about it Steph. You could get way from Trenton and from the people who hurt you. You could use the time to think about what and who you want. I would do it, Cupcake." He sat back down on the bed and wiped a few stray tears off my face.

"Can I think about it and let you know tomorrow morning? I'm probably going to be discharged and I guess I need to figure out something for when that happens."

"Come stay with me. I have an empty room and you can decide if you want to go to Ohio or not. It's a great little town, I used to go and visit him often. It would be a great place to have the little peanut." He placed his hand on my still flat stomach.

"Like I said, I'll think about it. You don't care if I crash at your house for a night or two? If I did go, I would need to spend a little time letting people know what was going on. I don't want to freak everyone out when I disappear."

"You're welcome anytime. Karen will probably be there, so you can get to know her a little before you leave." I saw the sparkle in his eyes when he said her name. Joe was falling in love and I was happy for my friend.

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow when I get discharged. Can I ask you to do me another favor?"

"Ask away."

"Can you pick up Rex and my stuff from RangeMan. I'm not ready to face them. I'll text Tank and ask him to have my stuff waiting for you in the lobby." Joe smiled and nodded.

"I would love to do that. I might get to give Manoso a piece of my mind. Stupid idiot didn't learn from my mistakes and lost the most important thing to him." I laughed at Joe's obvious inner monologue.

Joe stayed with me the rest of the day. He went out to pick up Pino's subs for dinner and we watched a game on TV. It felt just like old times except we weren't having sex and we weren't fighting about stupid shit. We were good friends. Joe kissed my cheek before he left for the night and promised to pick me up tomorrow when I got sprung from my sterile prison.

I fell asleep with thoughts about leaving Trenton heavy on my mind. I knew that it wouldn't be forever but it would give me a chance to clear my head. I had so much garbage in there that I wasn't sure who or what I really wanted. I needed time and space to figure it out. It sounded like I would get both of those in Greenville.

I woke the next morning with a happier outlook on my life. I knew what I needed and wanted to do, I just had to make it happen. First think I needed to do was get out of this damn hospital.

I talked to the doctor and got some recommendations for doctors to see in Greenville. He even set up my first OB/GYN appointment for me with my new doctor there. He signed my discharge papers and I was a free woman.

I found some clothes in the closet. I guess I needed to thank Ranger for them being there, but I wasn't ready to talk to him yet. I wasn't sure I was even going to tell him or Zero that I was leaving.

Joe picked me up just like he said he would and took me to his house. He got me settled on the couch before leaving to get my things from RangeMan. I texted Tank earlier that morning with my request and he promised my things would be waiting in the lobby. He apologized for the way the situation was handled and I knew he was sincere, but it still hurt.

Joe returned with my things an hour after he left. He was smiling so I guess he got that chat with Ranger.

"Everything okay?" I asked tentatively from my place on the couch.

"Perfect, Cupcake. I got to speak my peace to the boss man and even got to talk to the other punk. I didn't tell them about you maybe leaving. I thought if you wanted them to know, then you would tell them yourself. I will say though, Steph, those men both love you. I've never seen Manoso look so broken before. And the other guy looked just as bad. The tension in that building was crazy so I assume the rest of the employees aren't too happy with the boss either." I felt bad for Ranger and Zero, but they brought everything on themselves.

"Thanks Joe. I appreciate all your help. I think I'm going to take your friend up on the offer. I can spend tomorrow telling the people who I want to know and then I can leave early the next day. I really need this, I think." He smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"I think you need to do this too. You can use me to funnel information back to anyone you want. I wouldn't give out your address or phone number to anyone. You might not get any peace if people knew how to contact you." I thought about it, and I didn't want to totally disappear, but I did want to be left alone. I would think about what else I needed to do to make sure that happened.

Joe and I enjoyed an evening in front of the TV. We found stupid movies on and laughed our way through three of them. Joe and I fell into an easy friendship after the relationship ended. I would miss him while I was away. Joe went to bed early, and I was once again left with my thoughts.

I noticed a tablet of paper on the coffee table so I grabbed it and the pen laying next to it. I needed to write a few letters to the guys. I knew that they weren't going to be enough, but it's the best thing that I could think of. After I got all the letters written I headed up to the spare room and crawled into the comfortable bed. Before I fell asleep, I formed my escape plan. It was what I needed to do to guarantee that I wasn't followed or tracked.

I filled Joe in on my plan the next morning at breakfast. He had a huge role to play in making everything work.

"You want to do what?" His shocked expression made me giggle.

"I want to leave my piece of shit car here so the guys from RangeMan think I'm just hanging out here. I'll need you to take me to a car dealership out-of-town and I'll buy something to get me where I need to go. I'll have my bags packed so I can just leave straight from there. I've written letters to the guys and I'll call my dad and tell him what's going on, but I don't want anyone else to know. I'll call you with updates and you can keep my dad informed." I was excited about getting the show on the road now that I had a solid plan. "I trust you to keep my plans secret and I really don't want anyone to know where I am. I'm closing my checking accounts and canceling my credit cards and I'll just use cash wherever I go. If I have to find a job when I get there, I will. But I think I have enough in savings to live for a while if I'm not paying rent."

Joe still looked shocked but was nodding his head in agreement with what I was saying.

"Sounds like a damn good plan. How much do you have in savings?"

"A little over twenty-thousand. I'll keep my insurance so I won't have to worry about medical bills with the baby coming. I'm not planning on being gone forever, just long enough to clear my head."

"Sounds like plenty of money. I'll sell your car after I give RangeMan the letters and mail you that cash. It probably won't be much." He chuckled and I giggled thinking about the poor condition of my car.

"Are you sure about all of this, Cupcake? You can hide here if you want to." Joe wrapped me in his arms and gave me a hug.

"I'm positive. I need to do this. Thank you for all your help." I hugged him back and just enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms. There was no romantic feelings, but it was still nice to feel loved.

"It's my pleasure. I've got to run, but I'll be back by noon and we'll get you a new car and on the road. Will that be enough time for you to pack?" I nodded as I pulled away from him.

"Plenty of time. I'm just going to go to my apartment and pack my clothes and some pictures, I'll tell Dillon to donate the rest of it." Sad to say that I didn't have that many personal belongings.

"Okay, see you in a little bit." He kissed my forehead and rushed out the back door.

I spent the next hour on the phone with my dad. He understood my reasons fully and asked if I needed any money. I assured him that I had plenty and told him to contact Joe if he needed to get information to me. He promised to keep everything a secret and told me he would handle my mother. I had no doubt that he could handle her, I just felt sorry for him for putting him in that position. My mother wasn't going to be happy when she finds out that I left.

It only took me two hours to pack up my apartment. I told Dillon about leaving and asked him to donate everything that I left there. He agreed and wished me luck. I didn't tell him where I was going, Ranger could break him in a minute.

I met Joe back at his house right at noon and I threw my bags into his SUV. I grabbed Rex and his necessities and buckled his cage in the back. My car was parked in front of Joe's house and I left the keys on the table by the door. I took one last look at the house and felt a tear fall. I wasn't just saying goodbye to Joe, I was saying goodbye to Trenton and to RangeMan.

Joe drove me to the bank so I could close my accounts and then to a car dealership outside of Trenton. I bought a little used Honda for $3500 and transferred my bags to my new car. I moved Rex over and soon it was time for me to go. It was a little over a nine-hour drive and I needed to hit the road. I turned off my cellphone and handed it to Joe.

"I'll call you as soon as I get there. The letters are in your spare room, but give me a day or two before you deliver them." Joe nodded and I could see the tears in his eyes. Seeing them made mine fill with tears too. He took me into his arms and gave me a hug.

"I hope you find what you need, Cupcake. This town isn't going to be the same without you."

"I'll be back. Take care of yourself, Joe. Maybe I'll get a wedding invitation soon." I poked him in the ribs and laughed. From our talks, he was falling hard for Karen and I think she felt the same.

"That will be awhile, but hopefully sometime. I love you, Stephanie. Be safe." He hugged me again and dropped a kiss on top of my head.

"I love you too, Joe. I'll be safe. It's not just about me anymore." He placed his hand over my stomach and smiled.

"See ya later, Cupcake." I watched at he got into his SUV and drove away. A few tears fell, but they quickly dried up. I didn't have time to stand around and cry. I still had a long drive ahead of me.

I don't know who estimates the drive time on google maps, but I'm guessing it's a man because a woman would think to add time in for pee stops. I used the ten-hour drive to make a plan for the next day.

I would need to buy some groceries and learn my way around the town. I needed to find where my doctor's office was and maybe look for a part-time job. Something to keep me busy. If I just sat around and thought about my miserable life, I would go crazy.

When I finally pulled into the driveway of the little house in Greenville, I was exhausted. I took a little time to explore the house. It was small, but it would be perfect for me. The furniture was nice and comfortable that's really all I cared about. I got Rex positioned on the counter and fed him some hamster nuggets. There wasn't any food in the house so he would have to settle for that for now. I ate all the Cheetos that I picked up the last time I stopped. I made my way up to the bedroom and fell into a deep sleep the second my head hit the pillow. I missed Trenton, but I knew I needed this.

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A/N - Let me know what you think. Good, bad or ugly...doesn't matter. The next chapter will be up on Monday! : )


	10. Bonus

**Disclaimer: **Characters do not belong to me.

I got some requests for the guys POV when they got Steph's letters so I'm uploading this as a bonus chapter. I had no intention of writing this, but when multiple people ask for it then it's hard to ignore. I hope you enjoy reading them. The original chapter ten will be posted tomorrow. : )

None of this has been beta'd so please excuse my mistakes. I wrote it rather quickly today while watching Tombstone. LOL

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**Chapter 9.5**

RPOV

I fucked up! I knew it the minute I saw Stephanie's face when I walked into her hospital room. She knew the truth and she was pissed. You might be asking why I did what I did, but I can't really explain it to you. I love her. I loved her the day I met her, BUT...my loving her put a target on her head. Something that I never wanted to happen.

The brief relationship that we shared will always stay with me as the best time of my life. I thought she could accept the no strings sex, but she couldn't and I was proud of her when she stood up for herself and told me to take a hike. Hearing her say that she loved me was equal parts heaven and hell. I wanted to tell her that I loved her and to take her to the closest church and marry her. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her by my side, but I couldn't. I couldn't put her in that much danger. She was better off without me.

My choices in the Alvarez situation will haunt me until I die. I know that I should have told her what was going on instead of hiding it from her. My lies and deception are what put her in danger. She would have never been at her apartment alone if she had known the truth. It was my fault that she was assaulted. Like I said before...I fucked up!

Seeing the hurt behind her eyes and hearing the emotion in her voice when she asked for space broke my heart. She no longer trusted me or the men that I employ. I could see that written all over her face. I knew the minute I got back to RangeMan, I would be getting multiple ass-kickings. It was policy after all.

When I walked out of her room that day, I knew that we had lost her. She wouldn't be coming back to RangeMan any time soon and it was all my fault. The broken expression on her face as I walked away would haunt me for a very long time. RangeMan wouldn't be the same with out her. It was her home, whether she knew it or not but she didn't come back.

Instead, she went home with Morelli. I knew that there was nothing sexual between them anymore, but it still hurt that he was the one comforting her when she was hurting. He was the one drying her tears and holding her close. Fucker was doing what I wanted to do, but I had to fuck everything up.

When Morelli came to pick up Stephanie's things from the office, he gave me a piece of his mind. I stood and took it like a man but hearing the words hurt come out of his mouth, tore at my soul. Hearing that she cried herself to sleep and that she had never felt so alone...DIOS, what a fool I was.

A few days after Joe picked up Steph's things, he came back holding three letters. The minute I saw him standing in my lobby, I knew that she was gone. We had been keeping an eye on her trackers and car and they all remained at Morelli's, so we didn't worry too much. Seeing him with those damn letters...it felt like my world was ending.

I took the letter addressed to me and went to my apartment to read it. I knew I would need privacy and then probably some bourbon. I locked myself into my cold, dark apartment and opened the envelope. My heart skipped a few beats seeing her beautiful handwriting that filled the paper. Tears filled my eyes as I read her parting words.

_Dear Ranger,_

_If you're reading this, then you must know that I am gone. I asked Joe to give me a few days head start so I could get out of New Jersey before you sent the dogs after me. I'm asking you first and foremost to not look for me. Please honor my wish and my need to get away from Trenton for a while._

_I'm not really sure why I felt I needed to write you at all because you damn sure don't deserve an explanation from me. I guess my love for you is still strong enough that I felt I owed you some type of goodbye. My brain is screaming to stop writing, but my heart is what is guiding this pen._

_You hurt me, Ranger. You, the one person who had always made sure I had the strength to fly. You took away my ability to keep myself safe by lying to me, and YES...lies of omission are still lies. You put my life in danger by not informing me about the threat. You had always promised to protect me, so what happened this time? What changed?_

_I know that I hurt you when I ended our relationship, but I never thought you would intentionally harm me. I thought you understood why I had to walk away from you, I loved you too much to keep emotionally detached. My whole heart ached when I ended things. I had never been more alone in my life, until now. Now I really do have nothing left. At least after we ended things, I had the guys to lean on...but your deception took away my trust in them and I'm so lost._

_I need time to think about what happened. I need time to forgive you for betraying me. I need to come to terms with everything and I need to think about who I am and who I want to be. I need space to accomplish those things. I'm asking you to give me that space. Please don't look for me because I know that you can and will find me if you do. I tried to make it as difficult as possible, but your resources are large and could probably find Jimmy Hoffa's body if you tried. I'm asking you not to._

_Know that I am safe and will keep in touch with Joe. He's my link to Trenton so if you need to get me a message, it has to go through him. I hope that you can understand all of this and respect my decisions. There was a time when I know that you loved me. I'm not sure if you still do or if you hate me now; but either way, I'm asking you to let me go._

_When or IF I come back to Trenton, I hope that we can go back to being friends. I know that I will eventually forgive you because you are too damn important to me. I hope that you are able to look past everything too. I truly do love you Ranger and I will miss you terribly._

_Until we meet again,_

_Babe_

Dios. What have I done?

* * *

Zero's POV

Have you ever felt like your soul died? Like your life was over simply because you lost something important? I felt that way the day I walked out of my love's hospital room. I had an amazing woman who loved me and that I loved more than life, and I fucked it all up.

Why didn't I just tell her the truth? Fuck the fact that Ranger ordered me not to. I could have gone against the order and done it anyway. The human part of me said to do just that. To tell Stephanie the truth, but the soldier part of me convinced me to follow my orders and to do what my CO said. I listened to the soldier and I was wrong.

Seeing the hurt on her face that day in the hospital tore at my very heart and soul. I knew that I did more damage to her than Ranger or Joe ever did. I did what I swore to myself that I would never do, I hurt the woman who I loved. I made her question my love and my feelings for her and it killed me. She doubted my feelings. I could see that written all over her face.

When Joe came to collect her things from RangeMan, Ranger and I both stood in the lobby and listened to him rip us a new asshole. Hearing that she cried herself to sleep and that she felt alone hurt more than I can tell you. I could see the same pain written on Ranger's face too but I didn't care about him. He was the reason that we were in this mess.

Joe came back to RangeMan a few days later holding three envelopes. I passed Ranger on the stairs with one addressed to him. His face was hard and I could feel the anger rolling off him in the brief time we were close. He continued up to the seventh floor.

Joe handed me my letter and then passed the third off to Tank. It was addressed to everyone at RangeMan. I held that damn envelope in my hand and my heart shattered. I knew that she was gone and I knew that I was the reason. I retreated to my apartment to read the letter that she wrote me. My heart wasn't prepared for her words.

_Dear Noah,_

_By the time that you read this, I will already be gone. I told you in the hospital that I needed space to think about everything. Space, to me, means outside of Trenton and even out of New Jersey. I had to get away from everything because I no longer felt like I belonged there. I lost my entire support system in the matter of a few hours. I lost you, Ranger, and all my friends at RangeMan and I don't know what to do now. I'm not sure you know what that feels like._

_Imagine being part of something so wonderful and amazing and then having everything you thought was real, ripped away from you. I wasn't lying when I told you that I loved you. I thought you were the one for me and that I would always have you in my life. Learning that everything was a lie and that it all started because you were ordered to protect me, hurt more than you can ever imagine. Was the sex all part of the lie too? Was that just to get closer to me?_

_I know that you may think that you love me and maybe in your own way, you do. But if it was true love, if it was the type of love that I felt for you, you would have had the honor to tell me the truth before I found out from someone else. We spent a lot of time together during this charade and not once did you think about coming clean. I would have understood and I would have trusted you to keep me safe, but you didn't give me that opportunity._

_Instead you lied and hid things from me and I lost every ounce of respect and trust that I had for you. It hurts more because I still love you and probably always will, but I don't trust you now. I hope and pray that someday I will learn to forgive you and forget about what happened but that's not today and I'm not sure when it will happen._

_They say that if you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you then it's yours to cherish forever. If it doesn't then it never was yours to begin with. If you honestly love me, then let me go for now. Let me figure things out, please._

_I've asked Ranger not to look for me and I'm asking the same of you. If you need to get a message to me, let Joe know. He's the only one who knows where I am. Please give me the space that I need and someday, maybe I'll come back to you. Until that day, live your life Noah. Be the man who I know you are; the man who I love._

_Know that I am safe and that I will think about you every day that we are apart. I honestly believe that you are the other half of my soul and it kills me that we can't be together right now. We have so much to talk about when I'm ready and I hope and pray that you forgive me when the time is right. Until then...know that I love you._

_Always yours,_

_Breá_

I couldn't hold back the tears nor did I try. How could I just sit here and let her go? How could I just trust that she would come back to me? I felt like less than a man. I felt lower than dirt. I felt unworthy of the love that she so willing confessed to me. I needed to redeem myself. I needed to feel like I was in control of something, because at that moment, I felt helpless and that's not a good feeling for a soldier.

I did the only thing that I knew I could do. I called my handler and volunteered for any mission that I could. He told me that I needed to be ready to go the very next day so I informed Ranger and Tank that I was leaving and I never looked back.

* * *

Tank POV

Fucking great. Not only did Ranger and Zero fuck shit up, I had to be the one to inform all the other guys what happened. I was the one in charge of reading Stephanie's letter to them. Those two fuck heads fucked up the best thing that ever came into this building.

We're big scary guys. We're trained to kill and we don't have a problem taking a life. Most people cross the street when they see us coming and rightfully so, but not Stephanie. She didn't see us as anything except her friends. She accepted us for who and what we are and she never tried to change us. Everyone in this building loved her. Some of the guys loved her like a sister and some loved her a whole lot more. None of them were going to take the news of her leaving lightly.

When Morelli handed Zero and Ranger their letters, they both went to their separate apartments to lick their wounds. It was their fucking fault that we were in this spot so I had no sympathy for them. Their stupidity cost us our light.

I briefly read the letter before calling a company wide meeting. I called in two contract workers to man the monitors that day because I figured that none of the men were going to be in the mood to work after hearing what happened so everyone from RangeMan Trenton piled into the conference room that afternoon. Everyone except Ranger and Zero.

Zero informed us that he was heading out for a mission. There was no end date so he didn't know when he was due back. Pussy was just scared to get his ass kicked on the mats. Ranger at least had the balls to stick around. I knew what was coming for that man.

Once everyone was seated and quiet I briefed them on the Alvarez situation and the outcome of the failed operation. I could see the anger and rage bristling off some of them. Most of the men in the room had no idea about the protection detail that Zero was ordered to do or about his and Steph's relationship. They didn't know that Ranger didn't inform Steph about the threat either. WhenI finally told them about everything, they were beyond pissed. When it was time to read Stephanie's letter, I took a moment to clear my throat and then began reading the words of a broken woman.

_Rangemen,_

_By now you probably have heard that I left and you probably even know the reasons why. I need you all to know that I am going to do my best to stay safe and I'm asking you all to honor my wishes for space and not look for me. I've asked the same of Ranger and Zero, but I know you all do your own things sometimes. I'm asking you not to do it now._

_I love each and every one of you and I am going to miss my friends dearly, but my trust in you all was shattered. I'm not sure who all knew about what was going on and I don't really care. I know at least a few knew about the scheme and failed to tell me. Maybe you were just following orders or maybe you were too scared to stand up for what you thought was right. Either way, it was wrong and it broke the belief that I had in RangeMan as a company. I honestly don't know who I can and can't trust anymore._

_Joe Morelli knows where I am and knows how to get in touch with me. If you need me for anything, let him know. He will get the messages to me. Please don't hound him about where I am either. He won't tell you and it will just piss me off._

_I'm not sure when I will be back. I need some time to think about everything and to decide what I really want out of my life. I'm tired of being entertainment or just a pawn in a big game. I'm more than that and I deserve to be treated better._

_Until I return, know that I will miss each of you and I will think of you daily. I will learn to forgive and I will eventually forget. Until then, I'm afraid that you won't see me. Stay safe and watch each others back. I'll need some friends when I return, that is if you all still want me around._

_I love you all,_

_Bomber_

Uncontrolled rage was the atmosphere in that conference room. The guys that knew about the deception looked down with regret and the guys that didn't looked at them with anger. I knew that the punching bags and mats were going to be full for the rest of the day. I dismissed the men and gave each of them the rest of the day off to work through their feelings. They had to stay close to the building, but none of them cared about that. They would all be in the gym beating each other senseless. Me included.

I read Steph's letter one last time and then folded it up and carried it to my office. I picked up my phone and dialed a number.

"Yo" His voice sounded distressed and maybe a little drunk.

"Mats, ten minutes." I hung up. I knew that he would understand exactly why he was getting his ass whooped. No one hurts our Bomber and gets away with it. Not even the boss.

* * *

A/N - So how did you like the bonus chapter? The next chapter will be Steph in Greenville starting the process of healing. Look for it tomorrow. : )


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **Characters don't belong to me and never will. I'm simply playing with them for a little bit.

Thank you all for the continued support of this story. Your reviews are very much appreciated so keep them coming.

My beta is MIA so the next few chapters are not beta'd. I apologize for any mistakes. I'll go back and fix these chapters later. I didn't want to postpone posting. : )

* * *

**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 10**

I never knew that when I left Trenton more than 7 months ago it would end up being the best decision of my life. I had originally intended to go back home after a few months, but the peace and quiet that my new home gave me was too appealing. I never planned on staying this long, but I'm so glad that I did.

Once I settled, It took me about three days to learn my way around this little town. The people were really friendly and were always willing to give me good directions if I needed them. If I needed a place to shop or eat, all I had to do was ask someone and they were more than helpful. That's how I found my second favorite place on the planet to eat. Pinos will always be my favorite, but this little hole in the wall blew everything else out of the water.

Looking at the outside of the diner was scary. It was famous in the area because of the sandwiches it served, but it was also known for the gum wall. Covering the outside brick walls were years of chewed bubble gum. I almost walked away just from seeing that, but I decided to give the food a shot. I was hungry and tired of the frozen dinners that I bought for myself.

The inside was clean and packed with people. The booths were small and the bar had one empty stool that I quickly sat in. I read the menu board trying to make sense of what they served. I had no clue what a Maid Rite sandwich was, but the people around me were ordering them by the sackful, so I gave it a shot.

I wasn't disappointed. Their loose meat sandwiches tasted wonderful with just the right amount of onions, pickles and mustard. It sounds weird, but trust me...it was amazing. AND they serve the best chocolate milkshake that I've ever tried. Once I found this little place, I couldn't stay away.

The house I lived in was only about 7 blocks away from the diner, so I would walk down there around eleven, eat my lunch and then I would walk around the beautiful park that wasn't too far away. My walks quickly became my favorite activity (aside from eating that is). Not only did they help me stay in shape, but my son seemed to enjoy them too.

Yes, I said son. I found out that the little peanut growing inside me is a boy. He was a stubborn one the first few times we tried to determine his sex. He refused to roll over and coöperate with the ultrasound technician. The last time, however, he let go of his inhibitions and was laying sprawled eagle. His little boy bits were prominently on display. I called my dad right after I found out and told him the good news. He had waited for a grandson for years and actually cried when I told him.

My dad and Joe were the only people who I spoke to back in Trenton. Joe convinced me a month after leaving that my dad deserved to hear from me. I guess I worried him. That first call was difficult, but he soon understood my need for space. My dad passed messages on to me from my grandma and my mom. Surprisingly, neither of them pestered him too much about where I was. He kind of explained the situation to them and they accepted it. Neither of them knew about the baby though. I didn't think it was fair to tell them and not the father.

I picked up the phone to call Zero about a hundred times, but each time I hung up the phone before I finished dialing. He had the right to know about his son, and I felt bad for keeping this experience from him. However, every time I thought about the way our relationship started, I just couldn't bring myself to talk to him. His lies and betrayal still hurt, even after so many months.

Joe called me every other day to fill me in on what's happening in my home town. He and Karen were officially living together. She moved in about a month after I left. They were happy together and I knew a proposal was coming soon. Maybe as a Christmas present.

Joe warned me a week after I left that RangeMan had gotten their letters and had started the search for me. The guys had questioned Joe countless times because they knew he knew where I was. He refused to tell them and warned them that looking for me would only piss me off. He turned out to be a really good friend. I'm not sure where I would have been without him.

Fortunately, Joe and I were clever enough to cover our tracks. The closest the guys got to me was Columbus. I was stupid enough to look up into a camera at a gas station. Joe warned me that they were on the move to that location, but I was already long gone and settled in my new home. I didn't understand why they just couldn't leave me alone. I thought I made my desire for space pretty clear in my letters. Even after seven months, they hadn't stopped looking. That should've told me something, but I refused to think about. I had done enough thinking and still hadn't came up with any concrete decisions. I knew I need to go home, but I really didn't want to. I had fallen in love with the little town and the people in it. I could see myself raising my son there and being quite happy. Yes, I lived in denial land while I was there too.

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love to watch the trees turn colors and I woke up one September day to spend that day in the park. It was still warm outside and I was tired of staying in the house so I grabbed my light jacket and locked up the little house. No one had shown interest in buying it. I had let people in to look around and some wanted it, but it seemed like the financing always fell through and they couldn't buy it. That made me happy, since I got to live there for free while it was on the market.

The walk to the diner was uneventful, just like normal. The line of cars waiting in the drive through stretched back about three blocks. I waved to some of the people in the cars, they were regulars and were there just about as much as I was. When I opened the door to the diner, the familiar sounds and smells flooded my senses. As usual, they were packed but my seat was always saved by my a new friend.

I met Carl Jacob Young the first day I came here. He was sitting in the stool at the bar beside me and we struck up a conversation. He knew I was new to town and gave me some advice on where to shop and what to do if I got bored. I appreciated all of his help. He was always there and the stool next to him was always empty, just waiting for me to sit in it.

"Hi sweetness!" Carl always greeted me the same. With a kiss on the cheek and his normal 'hello'. You would think that having a 74 year old man call me sweetness would creep me out, but it didn't.

"Hello to you, CJ." I kissed his rough cheek and sat in the stool beside him.

"Normal please, Jenny." The waitresses all knew me and what I liked to eat so ordering was a snap.

"How's the little man today?" CJ was eyeing my protruding stomach.

"He's kicking up a storm. It seems like he only calms down when I'm outside doing something. He doesn't like when I stay inside the house." I laughed and rubbed the spot where my son was kicking.

"He's an outdoorsy fellow then. You'll have a fun time keeping him inside when he gets older." I knew he was telling the truth. Luckily my dad was already planning the fishing trips and sports games, so I would have some help.

"He must take after his daddy. You don't strike me as an outdoorsy girl." That wasn't entirely true. I liked the outdoors just as much as the next person, but I'm not about to spend all day standing in the sun or sleep outdoors. Camping and I don't get along so well.

"Guess so." I hardly ever talked to CJ about Zero and the guys back home. He knew that I ran from something but I held myself back from giving him that information. My lack of sharing didn't stop him from fishing for information though.

"Does the daddy know where you are?" He looked at me with concern in his eyes. He'd always been curious, but had never came right out and asked me that question. I couldn't answer him with words so I just shook my head. The waitress brought over my two Maid Rites and my chocolate shake and I dug into my favorite meal.

"Too bad. He has to be worried about you two. I know I would be if you belonged to me and disappeared." I ate my food without responding and thought about what CJ said. I gave Zero and Ranger both letters explaining to them why I left and that I was fine. They didn't have reason to worry, right?

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. Maybe you told him not to worry so you just assume that he's not. You've told me about your days as a bounty hunter and the trouble you seem to find yourself in. Seems to me that knowing that trouble just finds you combined with the poor guy not knowing where you are is enough to keep him worried sick." CJ always knew how to make me see his way on things. We had many arguments and discussions and he always turned my opinions to his. It was unbelievable.

"I don't think he has the right to worry about me. He chose to lie to me and destroy my trust in him. He doesn't even know about the baby." I don't know why I told him that. It just came out like word vomit. CJ turned in his stool to face me. His eyes were full of hurt.

"Are you done eating, sweetness?" I nodded and slurped the rest of my milkshake down. CJ and I paid for our meals and then walked out the back door together.

"Mind if I walk with you today?" He asked setting a slow pace for me to follow.

"Not at all. I'm not sure how far I can go today. Little man is sitting in a weird spot." CJ chuckled and we walked silently for a while. We walked to a large pond and sat down on a bench to watch the ducks fight over scraps of bread thrown by two young kids.

"Sweetness, will you tell me about your man back home? I can see that you love him just in the twinkle of your eyes. I know he hurt you, but maybe he had his reasons." I thought for a second. The only other person I told about this whole mess was Joe. Maybe getting an outsiders perspective would be helpful.

"You want the whole story or just the part about the father?" Telling him everything could take all day.

"I don't have anywhere to be, so tell it all to me." I let out a long sigh and started telling him my life story. I went as far back as the choo-choo game when I was six. I honestly don't know how long I sat there talking or how many tears fell. At one point CJ wrapped his arm around my shoulders and let me cry into his chest.

After my crying fit was over and after I spilled every pathetic detail of my life to this man we sat quietly for a few minutes. I was able to get myself under control before he spoke.

"You know, I've heard a whole lot of stories in my 74 years. But, sweetness, I've never heard of something like that. No wonder you ran away from those two buffoons." I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder.

"However, you need to tell the boy how you feel about him. AND, you need to tell him about that baby. He messed up, but it doesn't mean he didn't honestly love you. Men are stupid. We think we're invincible. We think nothing can bring us to our knees. That is until we meet the right woman." He patted my knee and rubbed my belly.

"Your guy, Zero, was given an opportunity of a lifetime and he took it. Just because he fucked up and didn't tell you the truth doesn't mean that his love was a lie. I'm sure he's making himself sick with worry. You need to call him." I let out a sigh.

"What about Ranger? What do I do about him?" He shook his head.

"That boy needs an ass kicking and I'll be happy to do it for you. I can tell, just from the way you talk about him, that you need him in your life. Maybe not as a romantic interest, but as a friend. I bet he feels the same way. He may be stupid, but he knows what he lost and I bet it's driving him crazy. He deserves a call too." I let out a long sigh again. I knew what he was saying was the truth, but could I really just pick up the phone after more than 7 months and call them? They might be mad at me.

"Oh, they'll be mad. But, they'll be so thrilled to hear your sweet voice that the madness will disappear. Trust this old man. Don't walk away from love. I did and regret it to this day." He got a far off look in his eyes like he was remembering something. He quickly shook his head and looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

"Thanks CJ. You're pretty smart for an old fart." His booming laugh echoed in the park and made me laugh along with him.

"Sweetness, you are a special girl. A very special girl, indeed." He kissed my hair and we both enjoyed the peacefulness of the nature us. I was able to think and plan about what I was going to say to the two men who I needed to call. Zero needed to know about the baby and Ranger needed to know that I was safe. I knew how frantically worried he must be. I couldn't imagine what I put them through during those months.

"Thanks for the talk CJ. I'm going to head home and make some calls." I stood up from the bench and looked at the old man still sitting there. He smiled and nodded at me. He knew exactly who I was going to call.

"I'll see you tomorrow for lunch. I want to hear all about those calls, sweetness." I smiled and nodded. Before I left, I bent over and placed a kiss on his aged face.

The walk home passed too quickly for my taste. It seemed like I just floated back the house. I thought about the conversations and wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I almost passed the house, but looked up just in time to see the little walkway leading to the front door.

Once I got inside and used the bathroom, I grabbed the cordless phone and headed into the living room. I wanted to be comfortable for what I was about to do. I knew that even if I didn't tell them where I was, they would be able to trace the calls. I was essentially telling them to come and get me.

I dialed the first number and listened to the ringing on the other end. His voicemail picked up so I assumed he was on a takedown or a stake out. It was early evening, so maybe he was still working. I decided to leave a voicemail.

"Hi Noah. It's Stephanie in case you didn't know. I just wanted you to know that I am okay. I'm healthy and happy and perfectly safe. I love where I am staying and wanted you to know that. I'm sorry for leaving like I did, I just needed some space. I hope you're not too terribly mad at me. We have some things that we need to discuss, but I don't want to leave them on your voice mail so please call me back. You should have the number on caller ID. Hopefully I'll talk to you soon. I miss you."

I had tears streaming down my face during the message. Stupid pregnancy hormones always made me cry. I took a deep breath and dialed the next number on my list. He answered on the second ring.

"Yo." My heart skipped a beat and I couldn't talk, but I didn't have to for him to know it was me.

"Babe?" I smiled. He didn't sound mad.

"Yeah, it's me." I heard the sigh of relief on the other end of the phone and I released my own too.

"Dios, Babe. Where are you? We've been worried sick." I could hear the worry and fear in his voice. I hated that I caused them to worry about me.

"I'm safe. I'm staying in a great little town in Ohio. You don't have to worry. It seems like I've left trouble behind too." I heard him chuckle and I could picture him sitting behind his desk shaking his head.

"Well that's good to hear. I'm so glad you called, Babe. I've missed you so much." What was that I heard in his voice? Regret?

"You know why I had to leave. You guys hurt me and I didn't want to stay and be reminded of that pain daily." Ranger let out a sigh again.

"I know, Babe. If there was any way to go back and change things, I would in a heart beat. I would take it all back to save you from being hurt. I'm so sorry Stephanie." Yep, definitely regret and what sounded like shame.

"Thank you for apologizing. I think I'm finally ready to forgive you. I've missed you so much." I felt the tears fall and the sob escaped before I could stop it.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I appreciate it. Are you coming home soon? I would love to see you." I'm sure he's going to shit his pants when he sees me. I decided at that moment that I was ready to leave my peaceful town. I had to return to reality.

"Yeah, I think I'll spend another week here and then head home. I tried calling Zero, but he didn't answer. I need to talk to him. It's really important." I heard a slight growl, but surprisingly Ranger didn't sound angry when he started talking again.

"He's out of the country on a mission. He volunteered right after you left. Said something about needing redemption. The last I heard the mission was successful and he should be home in a month or two." I was impressed that Ranger shared that much information with me but I was sad that Zero felt he needed to risk his life. Hopefully he would be back before the baby was born.

"Don't worry about him, Steph. He's a good man and he's staying safe." Ranger's reassuring voice calmed my nerves.

"Thanks Ranger. I appreciate that. Listen, I need to go. Can I call you tomorrow?" Now that I talked to him, I didn't want to let him go but I knew he needed to get back to work and this baby was once again jumping on my bladder.

"You can call me anytime, Babe. I'll talk to you later." I heard the phone disconnect and sighed looking at the phone in my hand. Would it kill the man to say goodbye?

I collapsed back onto the couch and smiled. For the first time since I left Trenton, I was hopeful. I thought my past life was gone forever. I never thought I could go back, but after talking to Ranger I knew that I could, and I would. It was time to say goodbye to Greenville.

I rubbed my belly and asked my son, "Are you ready to go home and meet your daddy? He's going to be surprised about you, but he'll love you just like I do." He kicked the place where my hand was resting and I smiled. It seems like he was on-board with my new plan.

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A/N - Another one down. Let me know what you think. The next chapter should be up on Wednesday!

Greenville Ohio is a real town and the place where I grew up. The diner is real too and even though I live eight hours away from my hometown, I still crave those stupid sandwiches. It's my first stop when I get into town for a visit with my mom. The gum wall is rather disgusting, but I've contributed some pieces of gum to it. : )


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **Still don't belong to me.

Thanks for the continued support. Your reviews keep me posting.

This chapter hasn't been beta'd so please forgive my mistakes. I did my best to catch them all.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 11**

My last day in Greenville was a sad day for me. I woke up early and cleaned every inch of the house and packed up all the clothes that I had collected since I moved there. The closest mall was 45 minutes away, so I didn't do a whole lot of shopping. I would need to hit the mall soon after returning to Trenton. I never knew that I would go through shopping withdraws.

I only spoke to Ranger once since I first called him almost a week ago. I realized that my old apartment would probably have occupants and I really didn't want to live there anymore anyway. Too many memories. Some of them good...most of them bad. I explained my dilemma to Ranger and asked for his help in finding me another apartment to live in. I still haven't told him about the baby, but I did ask him to find me at least a two bedroom place. I knew that he would come through for me.

He found the perfect apartment two days later and emailed me all the details. I still had some savings, so I could use it a few months until I found a job. There was no way I could go back to chasing fugitives again. Ranger offered me a job at RangeMan, but I refused - for now. I needed to find out how this thing with Zero was going to work out. He understood and told me the offer was always there.

Joe was excited that I was coming home. He told me not to worry about furnishing the apartment. He wanted to take care of it for me, kind of like a welcome home present. He even told me he would take care of decorating the nursery. It amazed me how supportive he had been. According to Joe, everything was ready and just waiting for me to get there.

My dad knew my plans and was excited as well. I had to make an appearance at my parents for dinner the day after I got back. The big secret would be out then, but I was ready to get on with my life. I couldn't hide forever and I was not ashamed of the little peanut growing in me.

Speaking of the peanut, he had been quite active that last day. I think I had been inside too long and he wanted some fresh air. I wasn't joking when I said that he calmed down when I walked outside. It was past time for my lunch, so I grabbed a jacket and walked down to my favorite diner for the last time.

As usual, CJ sat in his spot; an empty stool sat next to him. I smiled and plopped down beside him.

"Hi sweetness." I laughed. I was going to miss this old man.

"Hey old man. You started without me." I looked at his half eaten sandwich and he just shrugged.

"I gotta eat 'em when I can. Who knows when the old ticker is going to blow out. I can't waste time waiting on your skinny butt." I laughed. He always joked about my weight. I guess he liked a more voluptuous woman.

"There's nothing skinny about me anymore. I've got the peanut expanding my waist line every day." He rubbed my belly and I placed my order to the waitress who obviously hadn't worked there very long. She didn't know me or what I liked to eat. Sheesh.

"So, you ready to head home tomorrow?" CJ looked sad, but there was a sparkle in his eye.

"I am. Everything's ready for my big return, so all I have to do is make the ten-hour drive. I'm excited to see everyone again." He nodded and took a sip of his shake.

"You know, I'm going to miss you coming in here, sweetness. You've been the highlight of my days for the past almost eight months." I blushed and leaned over to rest my head on his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you too. I owe you a huge thank you. You're the reason I picked up that phone a week ago. You're a good man CJ. Don't let anyone tell you different." I felt him kiss my head and rest his head on mine. I really was going to miss him.

"Enough of this sappiness. Your sandwiches are getting cold and your shake is melting." I laughed and dug into my meal, after all, it would be my last. We enjoyed our lunch together and before I knew it, it was time for me to go. I wasn't walking the park that day because I had too much stuff to do at the house.

I stood up off the bar stool and went to put my jacket on. The place was packed, as usual, so I had to wait for the waitress to come back to where I was sitting to pay for my lunch. CJ and I were both waiting patiently when we heard the front door bell chime and someone scream.

I turned around to see what was wrong and saw a man wearing a ski mask enter the restaurant with a shotgun in one hand and a pistol in the other.

"Everybody get the fuck down, NOW." He yelled and pointed the guns around at everyone sitting in the restaurant. Most everyone hit the ground fast, but I was too slow and I caught the maniacs eye.

"You..." He pointed the shotgun at me. "Get over here. You're my way out of here." I hesitated. There was no way I was going to become his hostage. I had a baby to think about. He didn't like my hesitation though.

"You act like you have a choice in this. Get your fat ass over here now or I'll shoot you in the stomach and kill the bastard child that you're carrying." I let a sob escape as I slowly walked over to where the guy was standing. CJ kept his eyes on me the entire time.

"Everyone empty their wallets and you...bitch behind the counter, empty the drawer." Everyone shuffled to do as he asked. I pulled out the cash from my pocket. Luckily I didn't carry much. He pressed the gun into my stomach and made me walk around the small diner with him collecting the pilfered loot.

When everything was collected, he drug me to the back door and glanced out. Of course there were already cops surrounding the place. I'm sure the cars in the drive-through saw what was happening inside and called them. The guy was not a very bright criminal.

"Shit, fuck, damn! Okay. I'm glad I have you. They'll never shoot a pregnant lady. It must be my lucky day." He wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed the gun into my stomach again. I was his human shield.

"Of course, I don't have a problem killing you as soon as you become unnecessary. Are you ready to die?" The tears spilled out of my eyes and I shook my head.

"Well that's too damn bad, but I might just use you for a little fun before ending your life. You're kinda sexy aren't you?" I let out a sob as he licked his disgusting tongue up my face, just like Alvarez did.

"Hey. Why don't you let the lady go?" CJ was standing close to where we were. A glance around the restaurant showed me that everyone else had escaped through the front door. Way to be aware of your surroundings Steph.

"What's it to you old man? Is she your piece of ass?" CJ didn't respond and didn't make a move, he just stared into my eyes.

"Let her go and I'll let you live. Hurt her and you will die a very slow and painful death." As I looked at CJ, the sweet old man disappeared and very familiar stature appeared. His body language and blank face reminded me of the Merry Men and he looked ready to kill.

"Who's going to kill me? You old man?" The masked man scoffed and peaked out the back door at the cops. With his attention diverted, CJ's small nod to me let me know what he wanted me to do. The gun was still pressed into my stomach, but his body was turned so I could easily twist and get out of his grasp.

I said a silent prayer to keep me and my baby safe and nodded back to CJ. He was ready and so was I.

Everything happened so fast. The second I started to turn and fall to the ground, CJ leaped forward in attack mode. The attacker was distracted enough that he was caught off guard by the sudden movements. I heard CJ's body make contact and then the sound of a gunshot right before the sickening sound of bones breaking. My face was planted in the floor and I had my hands wrapped around my stomach as I.

After a few seconds, I heard a groan and turned my head to see CJ laying with blood seeping out of his chest. I glanced at the attacker, but his neck was turned the opposite direction of his body. I guess that was the breaking bones sound I heard.

I scrambled quickly over to where CJ was bleeding on the floor and pressed my hand over the wound. I started yelling for the cops to come in and help me. There was so much blood and I couldn't get it stopped.

I could feel the tears running down my face but couldn't do anything to stop them. CJ raised his hand to wipe them away and rested his hand on my face.

"It's okay sweetness. Don't be sad, this was my choice. My life for yours. Now go live your life and remember me." His hand dropped from my face and he stopped breathing. Finally the cops came in with the EMT's and they started working on CJ, but it was too little too late. They called the time of death and then left so the CSI team could come in.

They kept me there for hours answering questions. I was so tired and still covered in CJ's blood. I wanted to go home and shower and cry for my friend who was still laying on the floor covered by a white sheet. The police were done with me, but I still had to wait for someone to drive me home. There was no way I was going to walk home after what happened earlier that day.

I was spaced out staring and rubbing my belly when I heard the most amazing voice.

"Babe?" I looked around frantically, surely he wasn't here. When my eyes traveled to the door I saw him. Ranger was standing there with a cop trying to keep him out of the crime scene. I immediately jumped off my stool and ran to his arms. The past was forgotten. I didn't care about anything except feeling the safety that only he gave me.

The cop took the hint and left us alone. He held me in his arms as I cried. I would hear the occasional whispers of Spanish in my ear and felt his hands soothing me.

"How...why...?" I couldn't even form whole sentences. I felt him sigh.

"When I found out a week ago where you were staying, we began monitoring the police bands. When we got report about a robbery and hostage situation at a local diner, something told me that you were in trouble and I needed to get here." Well that explains why he's here, but how in the hell did he get here so fast?

"So you just hopped on the bat-jet and parachuted out?" I felt him chuckle.

"No. The company jet landed at a small private airstrip outside of town. I borrowed a car and drove straight here." That sounded more realistic I guess.

"Thank you." I whispered into his chest.

"No price, Babe. I will always come when you need me." I knew he was telling me the truth. He never failed to rescue me.

"Can you take me home? I am in desperate need of a shower." I pulled away and he got to look at me for the first time. I saw the second he realized I was way pregnant. His eyes widened and his half-smile came out.

"Sure, Babe. Let's get you home and then you can tell me about that stomach." He led me out of the restaurant and into a black (of course) BMW. I gave him directions to the house I was staying in and opened the door.

"I'm going to update Haywood and Joe about the situation. You shower. We'll work on dinner when you get done." I gave him a puzzled look. Why would he update Joe?

"Morelli and I have reached an understanding and he was worried when I called him earlier about you." I was shocked. The two Alpha-males came to an understanding? Amazing! He gave me a small eye roll and pushed me gently toward the bathroom. I guess his ESP was still working.

I could hear him on the phone while I gathered my clothes and started the shower. I wanted to wash the blood off of me and it ran down the drain along with my tears.

I used every ounce of hot water available that night. I scrubbed my skin until it was raw, but I still felt dirty. My clothes from today got tossed into the trash and I dressed in lounge pants and a T-shirt. When I walked back into the living room, Ranger was sitting on the couch with a pizza on the coffee table. I didn't think I was hungry until I smelled the delicious aroma of pepperoni, sausage and cheese.

I plopped down on the couch and grabbed a piece of pizza. He chuckled as I shoved it into my mouth and moaned at the taste. He let me eat in silence, which I was thankful for. I didn't want to talk about what happened and I didn't want to think about my friend dying. When I ate all that I could, I knew the silence was over.

"Was that good, Babe?" Ranger smirked at me and I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"You ready to talk?" I sighed and shrugged. I really didn't want to, but I knew I needed to.

"Tell me about the baby." Ranger reached out and placed a hand on my stomach. My son chose that time to kick Ranger's hand. His eyes widened and he laughed.

"He's due in early November, but my doctor thinks he'll come early. I'm hoping for a Halloween baby." I smiled and rubbed my stomach.

"Zero's?" I nodded and surprisingly Ranger didn't look mad.

"That man loves you." I looked at his dark eyes. "He felt terrible about what happened with Alvarez and when you left, it broke him. I've known Zero a long time and we've seen some terrible shit together, but I've never seen him that broken before." I felt a tear escape and it was flicked off by Ranger. I didn't mean to break him. I was hurt and confused.

"I'm sorry I left, but I didn't know what else to do." Ranger wrapped me in his arms.

"I know Babe. It's what you do when you're scared and hurt, you run. I expected it. I just didn't know you would be so good at it. We knew Joe knew where you were and talked to you so we honestly didn't look that hard. I wanted to give you the space that you needed." Hearing that made me feel a little better.

"When Zero read your letter, something in him snapped and he called our handler and volunteered for whatever they had. He said he needed to redeem himself. I tried to stop him from going, but nothing I said worked." I couldn't help the shudder that escaped from me.

"Do you think he'll ever forgive me? Do you think he'll want us when he comes back?" That was my biggest fear. Maybe he didn't want kids. Maybe he couldn't forgive me for leaving.

"Well, he doesn't know about the baby; but I can honestly say that he still wants you. He's called me a few times while on the mission and we've talked. He thinks you won't ever forgive him. You messed that boy all up." Ranger laughed and I slapped his chest.

"I do forgive him. A smart man helped me to see that even though the relationship started on a lie, it doesn't mean the feelings we both had were false. I know, in my case, the feelings were real and still are." Ranger let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ranger." I snuggled into his chest again letting the warmth and security surround me.

"What are you sorry for? Falling in love with someone else? I'm happy for you, Babe. I could never give you everything you need. I love you, but I'm not willing to love you completely. I'm glad that you found someone who makes you happy. I wasn't thrilled in the beginning because I thought he was just taking advantage of you, but seeing him after the truth came out and knowing what I know now, I'm thrilled that you have him." He placed a kiss on top of my head. "I'm going to miss this though. This closeness that we have. I've become dependent on you. I need you in my life in someway, Babe. Please don't shut me out completely." His voice sounded so sad that it broke my heart. I raised my head up and looked deep into his eyes.

"You will never lose me from your life. I need you just as much as you need me. The kisses and flirting will have to stop, but I don't ever want to lose you as a friend." His face filled with relief and I stretched to place a small kiss on his lips. We didn't let it go any further than just a peck, but it was sweet. It was almost like a goodbye kiss.

"So tell me what happened today. I got a report from the cops, but I don't understand who CJ is to you." I smiled and told Ranger the story of CJ and I from the very beginning. When I got the events today, I paused and let the tears fall.

"He gave his life for mine. The robber was going to rape and kill me and CJ sacrificed himself for me. I would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for him." Ranger hugged me tighter.

"He used to be a Ranger. When he was active, his code name was Protettore. It means protector in Italian. He died doing what he did best. Protecting people who can't protect themselves." I lost it when I heard this. CJ never once mentioned his military career in our talks, but I realized he at least had some background when I saw him face my attacker. He looked just like Ranger and the guys when they were in takedown mode.

"I'll never be able to thank him." I cried harder.

"You can thank him by honoring him. They're giving him a full military funeral in two days. We can stay and go if you'd like." I nodded. I wanted to go and say goodbye the right way.

That night snuggled in Ranger's arms, I thought about the tattoo that Zero has above his heart. It says the same thing that CJ said to me. 'My life for yours'. It makes me proud that there are people out there that are willing to die protecting perfect strangers. I decided that night to honor them by living a life worthy of their sacrifice.

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A/N - So did Ranger redeem himself enough for you all? I had originally thought about making him a bad guy in this story, but decided that he needed to support Steph instead of being an ass. Hope you all agree with me. : )


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine nor will they ever be.

I'm loving all the reviews! Thank you all so much for your support of this story. I'm thrilled that you all like it so much. Potterwench...here is the first half of our deal! The second half should be out tomorrow! I expeyou another chapter from you lol. Anyone that hasn't read this amazing author's stories, I suggest that you do it soon. :)

Still not beta'd. I'll fix it later.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 12**

The funeral of Carl Jacob Young was nothing short of amazing. The entire town showed up to honor the man who so selflessly sacrificed his life for a friend. I got to meet his son, daughter-in-law and their children. I guess CJ had told them stories about me because they knew who I was before I even introduced myself. They were such pleasant people.

I thought they would be upset with me because I was the reason that CJ was dead. His son reassured me that CJ loved me and he held no grudges towards me. He actually thanked me for spending so much time with his father. I guess before I moved here, he had been depressed and almost ready to move into a nursing home. His son told me that I brought new life to him and gave him a reason to get out everyday. I was honored that he thought that he felt that highly of me.

The plan was for Ranger and I to leave for Trenton the day after the funeral. He sent the jet back and agreed to help me drive all of my stuff. It wasn't going to be an easy trip with me being almost months pregnant. The night of the funeral changed our plans. I woke up with sharp pains in my back and stomach. Ranger didn't even call a doctor, he just rushed me to the hospital.

I wasn't in labor, but the stress from the robbery and funeral had caused my blood pressure to raise, and that wasn't healthy for the baby. I was put on bed-rest for two weeks and sent home to rest. I tried to send Ranger home, but he refused. He stayed in Greenville with me to take care of me. He worked from the living room on his laptop while I sat and watched soap operas.

At my doctor's appointment after the two weeks, I found out that my son was getting ready to be born. I didn't understand the whole process, but the doctor instructed me to stay close to home until the birth. I was worried because he was early, but the doctor assured me that he was perfectly healthy and that everything would be fine.

I tried again to get Ranger to go back to Trenton without me, but he told me that he wasn't leaving me to have a baby by myself. If Zero couldn't be here, then he was the next best thing. I had to agree with him. I needed someone and come to find out, he already had Lamaze training so he became my coach.

Ranger and I spent the evenings locked in the house talking about anything and everything. It was weird, but the second we defined our relationship as friends only, he became an entirely different person. He talked. Not about himself, but about everything else. He told me stories about Zero in the Army and then stories about failed takedowns. We laughed sometimes...I cried sometimes.

On October 28, I went into labor for real. My water broke at 3:47 PM and my son was born twelve hours later. I was sitting in my hospital bed with Ranger beside me when a nurse brought my son for me to see for the first time.

"Here you go, mommy. Have you picked out a name?" The nurse placed my little peanut in my arms and I couldn't stop the tears.

"Allen Jacob Wilson. Allen after his daddy and Jacob after the man who saved my life. AJ for short." The nurse smiled and left the room.

"It's a great name, Babe, and he is one cute kid. Proud of you." Ranger kissed my head and then glanced down at the sleeping baby in my arms. I could see the love in his eyes for my son, already, and that led me to ask him a question.

"Ranger, you're my best friend and I trust you with my life. Will you be AJ's Godfather? If something ever happens to me and Noah, will you protect him like you do me?" Ranger gave me his 200 watt smile.

"I would be honored, Babe. But I'm not going to let anything happen to you, ever." I smiled and kissed AJ's head. He started to get fussy so I figured he was hungry. I opened the gown and he latched on to my breast almost immediately.

"Oh...you're just like your daddy. He couldn't stay away from those either." I heard Ranger chuckle.

"I don't need to hear this, Babe." He tried to sound serious, but was still laughing.

"Sorry. I can't help it if it's the truth. When do you think Noah will be back?" I kept my eyes on my feeding son. There was something special about this time and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

"He'll be back before Thanksgiving. I spoke with him last week." I whipped my head around to look at Ranger. He didn't tell me about talking to him.

"Don't be mad. He called me in the middle of the night. It was daytime where he is. I didn't tell him about you or AJ. He lost his original cell phone and your voice mail. He has no clue that you're going home. If we leave next week, that will give you plenty of time to settle in before he gets back. I can pick Zero up at the airport and bring him straight to you." I wasn't mad. I really wanted to talk to him, but not if it was in the middle of the freaking night. I was thankful he didn't wake me up.

"That sounds good. You honestly think he'll be happy about AJ? We never talked about kids and we were only together for such a short time." Ranger chuckled.

"You think he'll turn you away just because of AJ?" Ranger sounded shocked.

"Well...I don't know. He said he loved me for a long time, but it's hard for me to understand that." I was trying to be honest. I decided that it was time to face my feelings instead of hiding from them.

"What's the nickname he calls you?" I smiled. I still didn't know what it meant, but I loved the way it sounds coming out of his mouth.

"Breá. Do you know what it means?" I looked hopeful toward Ranger.

"It's an Irish word for love. He's called you that since the beginning. Before you two started fooling around. He told me that he fell in love with you the first day he met you, but never thought he stood a chance. He's going to be thrilled about AJ." I could see the truth in Ranger's words. He believed what he was saying, so I should too.

I thought about what Ranger told me. Zero told me that night that he picked that nickname to come find him when I figured out what it meant. That was his way of telling me that he would be waiting until I was ready for him to love me. He didn't want to pressure me. I could feel the tears stream down my face. Maybe a happily ever after was in my grasp.

"I can guarantee you that you'll get a happily ever after." Ranger wiped my tears away and then took AJ from me after he was done eating. I was exhausted and needed a nap.

"Sleep, Babe. Let me get acquainted with my new godson." I fell asleep to Ranger talking to AJ in Spanish. I had no clue what he was saying, but the cadence of his voice lulled me into a deep sleep.

AJ and I were discharged from the hospital the next day and Ranger and I decided to spend at least a week at the house before leaving for Trenton. Luckily the week went by without problems and before I knew it, we were all packed and pulling away from the house that I called home for so many months.

The drive to Trenton was uneventful. Ranger drove the whole way and I slept off and on. We had to stop numerous times to feed and change AJ, but he turned out to be a great travel baby. I was impressed with my little man.

We pulled into the parking lot of my new apartment well after midnight. We were both exhausted and still had a car to unpack. Ranger carried up AJ, and I took care of Rex. He showed me around my new home and I fell in love with it instantly!

The large apartment was three times the size of my old one. The living room was furnished with overstuffed couches and a huge TV. The kitchen was nice sized with a gorgeous oak table to eat at. My bedroom held a queen sized four poster bed and a huge walk in closet. The attached bathroom was amazing with a walk-in shower, jacuzzi tub and double sinks. I was in heaven.

Joe had done an amazing job in picking out my furniture. I would have to find a way to pay him back. As beautiful as everything was, the nursery is what took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. It was painted in a light tan color with a red stripe halfway up the wall, all the way around the room. The dark wood furniture stood out in stark contrast. The thing that made me so emotional was all the sock monkeys that were scattered in the room. The bedding in the crib was even done in a sock monkey motif.

Let me explain. When I was little, my favorite toy was a sock monkey. I called him Peanut (don't ask why). Anyway, Joe would always torment me and take my monkey from me. He would hide it and tell me that I would never see it again. He always changed his mind when I started to cry. He told me once we were older that seeing me cry broke his heart and he would do anything to not see those tears. How he remembered about Peanut was beyond me, but there sitting in the crib was the exact replica of my old stuffed animal.

"You'll have to fill me in about the monkeys later. Joe insisted that he get full control of this room." I smiled and nodded.

Ranger unloaded all the crap from my car while I got AJ changed and ready for bed. He would be awake in about two hours to eat, but I thought he would like to sleep in his new crib for a while.

I quietly closed the nursery door as Ranger was bringing in the last of my bags. He carried them into my room and then grabbed his cell phone to call for a ride. He had been with me so many nights that I didn't know how I was going to sleep without him.

"Tank's on his way. Are you going to be okay here tonight?" He took me into his arms and hugged me tight to his body.

"I'll be fine. Thank you so much for finding this place. It's amazing. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." He smiled at me and kissed my head.

"No price. And you've already given me so much. Just be happy, Babe." His cell phone chirped and I knew his ride was here. He kissed me again and left.

I stood alone in my huge apartment not really sure what to do. It was late, or early however you wanted to look at it, so I took off my clothes and decided to get a few hours of sleep.

Right on schedule AJ woke me up two hours after I hit my pillow. I got him fed and changed and back to sleep and I passed out again.

Light was streaming in my windows the next time I woke up. AJ was stirring, but wasn't crying yet. He was such a good baby. I got him fed and dressed for his introduction to Trenton. The plan was to introduce him to my parent's later that day.

When he was comfortable and quiet in his crib, I took a very fast shower and dressed. I decided it was still a little early to surprise my parents, but Joe would be up so I called him.

"Hey Cupcake. How's the little guy?" I had called Joe right after AJ was born, but he didn't know we were back in Trenton.

"Why don't you come over and see for yourself?" I laughed into the phone.

"Really? Your home?" He sounded like a kid on Christmas.

"Yeah. If you hurry, you can see him while he's still awake." I heard keys jingling and a whispered phrase to Karen.

"I'm on the way. I'll even bring you donuts. See you in a bit." I hung up the phone and decided to tidy up some of the bags that got brought up the night before. About ten minutes later there was a knock on my door. I opened it and was immediately swept up into strong arms. How he didn't drop or crush the donuts is beyond me, but they were safe and whole when he finally sat me back down.

"It's good to see you too Joe." I laughed and kissed his already stubbly cheek.

"It's beyond good to see you, Steph. Where's AJ?" He put the donuts down on the table.

"In your sock monkey nursery. He loves it." He smiled at me.

"I thought he might. He's part you. What do you think about it?" He started walking back toward the nursery. I followed eating a Boston Creme.

"I love it. Thank you Joe. I can't believe you remembered Peanut and found one that looks just like him." Joe was standing beside the crib looking at my son. I pretended not to see the tears in his eyes as he picked him up.

"God, Steph. He's gorgeous. He looks just like you. Without the crazy hair, that is." It was true. AJ did look a lot like me, but I knew his eyes were his daddies. They were going to change colors soon. And, thank GOD he didn't get my hair. Poor kid.

"Thank you. I think he's pretty great." I brushed AJ's hair a little and kissed his great smelling head. Joe was quiet for a few minutes. He stood just holding and watching AJ intently.

"Do you ever wish that this was our life?" He asked suddenly bringing me out of my trance like state. I sighed. I didn't want to hurt Joe, but I never wanted this with him.

"No. We wouldn't have been happy together. I love you Joe. I really do, but not enough to want to change to make you happy." He looked at me and smiled. "Besides, you and Karen are great together. She's perfect for you." His smile got bigger.

"I know. I'm glad that we decided to be friends. Karen told me last night that she's pregnant." My mouth was hanging open. "I asked her to marry me too. We're getting married next month. She wants to do it before she starts to show."

"Congratulations! That's great news. You're going to be an amazing dad, Joe. Don't let your fears convince you otherwise." He nodded and looked at AJ again.

"I've got to go, Cupcake. Can I bring Karen over sometime to see AJ? She's freaking out about becoming a mom." He placed the sleeping baby in my arms and I smiled.

"Of course. I don't have any plans for the next couple weeks." Joe kissed my cheek and then placed a kiss on AJ's.

"I'll call you later to arrange a time. See ya, Cupcake." I followed Joe out to the front door and locked it when he left. I glanced at the clock and realized it was late enough to drop in and see my parents. I wasn't really looking forward to this visit, but knew it needed to be done. I changed AJ for good measure and got him buckled into his seat and locked into the car. The drive to my parents was quiet and it gave me time to gather my thoughts.

I pulled up and didn't see anyone standing at the door. Usually, my mother and grandma can sense me coming and are waiting for me. I guess my long absence broke their radar.

I grabbed the diaper bag and car seat out of the car and approached the front door. I didn't bother knocking, and just walked in. I didn't see anyone in the living room and the house smelled like bacon so I guessed they were all eating. I slowly walked around the corner into the dining room and sure enough, everyone was quietly eating their breakfast. My mother was the first to see me.

"Stephanie?" She was shocked for a second, but suddenly launched herself out of the chair and wrapped me in a hug. Now it was my turn to be shocked.

"Dear God, thank you. Thank you for bringing her home." She kept chanting the phrase over and over. My dad came over and placed a kiss on my head and took AJ's car seat from me. He unbuckled him and pulled him up into his arms.

"Mom, dad, grandma. I want you to meet your grandson, Allen Jacob Wilson. I call him AJ." The tears falling from my mom's eyes unchecked made my own mist. She looked at my son and more poured out.

"Oh, Stephanie. He's beautiful." I was still shocked. I was waiting for a lecture or a few 'why me's'. There was none of that.

I spent a few hours visiting with everyone and catching up on all of the gossip. My mom never once asked me about the father or mentioned marriage. She fell in love with my son the second she saw him. When it was time to go, my dad got AJ bundled back into his seat and my mom pulled me aside.

"I'm so sorry if I ever put too much pressure on you, Stephanie. It took me a long time to realize that you'll never be happy with what I want for you. I look at you and you're happy now, just living your life the way that you want. I hope you can forgive me for the way I treated you." A few tears fell from my eyes.

"You are forgiven...and I am happy. I never thought I would be happy with a kid, but he's my whole world." She smiled and patted my face.

"I can see that. Is he going to have a father in his life?" The question didn't come out snippy or judgmental, so I felt safe to answer it.

"His father doesn't know about him, but I'm hoping that he'll give us a chance when he gets back. He's working for the government right now in a different country." She nodded like she understood.

"One of Ranger's men?" She never liked that I associated with the Merry Men so I was afraid to tell her the truth, but thought she deserved it.

"Yeah. Noah, or Zero to the guys." She smiled again and nodded.

"He'd be stupid to not give you a chance. You are an amazing woman and a wonderful mother. I'm so proud of you." I didn't bother stopping the tears. I hugged my mom and then my grandma.

"I expect to see the package that helped create that kid soon." Grandma whispered in my ear. "It's good to have you home, baby girl." I kissed her cheek and then went to hug my dad.

"He's a good-looking kid, just like me." My dad beamed with pride. He had waited so long for a grandson and he was loving every second of it.

"Aint that the truth. Thank you, daddy. I know you've helped bring mom to her senses." He smiled and kissed my head.

"Anything for you pumpkin. ANYthing." I kissed his cheek and then walked out the door with my son. I got him locked into his base and then hopped in my car to head home. It was early afternoon, but it was time for a nap. AJ would eat and then sleep for a few hours. I would use that time to recharge my batteries too. After all, that's what you did with a newborn.

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A/N - I know a lot of you were expecting a bad visit with Helen, but I decided to go a softer route. Steph's had enough drama in her life and it's time for some calm. Hope you all enjoyed it!


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine. I'm just playing with them for a little bit.

Thank you all for the excellent reviews! I'm really bad about responding to them, but know that I read each and every one of them. They are what keeps me posting this story.

Still no beta so please excuse my mistakes!

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 13**

The next few days, after my triumphant return, passed slowly. I was able to get everything unpacked and put away in my apartment. I spent a day at the mall buying AJ and I some new clothes since it had been entirely too long since I shopped. There wasn't a lot of options in Greenville, and I missed my mall while I was away.

Joe and Karen came over one night and we ate dinner together. Karen was so scared to even touch AJ when she first got there, but by the end of the night she was holding him like a pro. I told her my fears about being a mother and my reaction when I first found out. I hope it helped her calm down a little bit. I knew her and Joe were going to be great parents.

She was beyond impressed with Joe's decoration skills and truth be told, so was I. His house is so thrown together that I was worried when he first offered to buy the furniture and decorate my apartment; but he did an amazing job. Everything was perfect for my taste and fit well into the space. The nursery is still my favorite room to hang out it.

Ranger had been busy at the office, so he didn't have much time to spend with me. I got bored one day and decided that it was time to go to RangeMan and introduce AJ to the guys. I felt bad because they would get to see him before Zero, but I couldn't put off going over there any longer. Ranger warned me one night that he had to order the guys to stand down from a full-scale invasion into my home. Ranger didn't tell them about AJ, so he was going to be a surprise.

I dressed AJ in some black baby cargos that I found at the mall and a black T-shirt. He looked just like a miniature Merry Man. He was so damn cute and the guys were going to love him. I gathered everything that I would need and loaded it all up into my car.

I drove quietly to the RangeMan office and pulled my car into the underground garage. Of course my spot was empty so I pulled in and parked. I got out and stood beside the back door just waiting for what I knew was coming. 5, 4, 3, 2...the door burst open and I was engulfed in a sea of Merry Men. I laughed and cried as I was passed around to each of the guys. Les was the last one to hug me.

"God it's so good to see you Beautiful. We all missed the shit out of you." I laughed as he twirled me around.

"I've missed you guys too, but I've been a little busy." I started to walk back to my car, but Ranger had somehow snuck around me and beat me to it. He unbuckled AJ from his seat and stood up with him in his massive arms.

"Men. Let me introduce you to the next generation of RangeMen. This is Steph's and Zero's son, Allen Jacob." He was looking at AJ instead of the guys. I took a chance and looked around at each of the men in the garage. If I had a camera, I would have had blackmail material for years. Their faces were priceless. None of them made a move toward Ranger or AJ.

"Oh, come on guys. You act like you've never seen a baby before. AJ isn't going to break. You can touch him." That snapped the guys from their stupor and I watched as each big burly man held my small son. He was dwarfed by their giant arms, but it was so sweet to see these men act so gentle with him.

When Les passed him off to the next guy he took me in his arms again and hugged me tight.

"Thank you Beautiful. You don't know how much this means to us." I looked into his eyes and saw the glimmer of tears.

"I know you all are great guys and I love each and every one of you. You deserve so much more than you're given." He hugged me again. Sadly, AJ will be the only kid that most of the guys will ever get a chance to know. Many of them are so scared of relationships that I doubt they'll ever have their own children. If having my son close to them made them happy, then I would be there everyday.

"Good news, Babe." Ranger wrapped his arms around me from behind and hugged me. "Two days from now, you can expect to have a visitor around 1500." I turned in his arms quickly. I hoped he was talking about Zero.

"He's coming back in two days? Really? Wait, what time is 1500?" He smiled and kissed my nose.

"Two days. I'll drop Zero off at your apartment around 3 PM. I'll tell him that one of the guys wants to see him before we go to Haywood. He'll be suspicious, but won't think much about it. Are you ready for him?" Oh God, that was a loaded question. Was I ready for him? Yes and no.

"I think so. I'm so worried that he's going to be pissed about AJ and turn us away. I don't want to be alone." Ranger laughed. Every guy in the garage turned to look at their boss who rarely showed emotion and never laughed.

"Guys. If, by chance, Zero is an idiot and doesn't want Steph and AJ in his life, is there any chance in hell that they'll be alone?" Every guy in the garage smiled and shook their heads followed by a whole lot of 'hell nos'.

"You'll never be alone, Babe. But I think you're worried for no reason. Trust in love. It will all work out." Ranger kissed my head and led everyone to the elevator. Most of the guys took the stairs back up to the fifth floor, but Ranger, Tank, Les, Bobby- who was holding AJ - and I took the elevator.

The guys on duty went back to work and the rest of them joined us in the conference room. We all spent the rest of the day laughing and reconnecting. When AJ got hungry, I felt comfortable enough to breast feed him in the conference room with the guys sitting there. I was well covered of course, but it still impressed them that I felt safe enough to do it around them. Les tried to sneak a peak at my feeding son under the guise of scientific study, but I refused to let him.

Ella served us lunch and dinner so we were all able to relax and visit. It was a really fun day. Ranger even stayed with us and put off working until later. When it was time for me to go, Ranger rescued AJ from hearing a rather crude joke from Cal and carried him down to the garage with me. He got him buckled in his seat and then pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you, Babe. Just you being here brought this office together like I've never seen. We've all been out of sorts for months, but with you here again, we feel like a family." He pulled away and looked into my eyes. "Please think about working here. You can have a desk job until you're ready to go into the field. You can bring AJ with you. There will always be someone around to watch him."

"I'll think about it. I need to see where Noah and I go first. I'm not going to make him feel uncomfortable in his job if we don't work out." The old insecurities were still there.

"We would rather have you here." Ranger laughed, but I knew he was telling the truth.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I don't want to cause problems like that." Ranger smiled and kissed my forehead. He helped me into the car and closed my door.

"Talk to you later, Babe." I watched him walk back to the elevator and disappear back upstairs.

I drove home excited about Zero's return. More excited than worried. Or is it more worried than excited? Bah...I just wanted it over with so I could know what was going to happen one way or the other. I hated the period of uncertainty.

I believed the guys and Ranger when they told me that I would never be alone. I knew that they would always be there for me and AJ, but that's not the same. I loved Zero. Spending forever with the man you love was every girl's fantasy. It was what I wanted for AJ and I.

If it didn't work out, I would have to learn to move on and hopefully find someone else to love. I always seemed to make plans around the worse case scenarios, so I started to think about who else I could learn to love if Zero didn't want us. Sadly, I couldn't think of anyone. I would always love Joe and Ranger, but not in the same way that I loved Zero. I don't see myself ever loving anyone like I did him.

That thought just made me even more depressed. What I basically told myself is that it was all or nothing. Either Zero gave us a chance and we live happily ever after, or I live alone. Warming thoughts right?

The next day was spent with me locked in my apartment freaking out. I cleaned everything that I could and did laundry in my own personal laundry room. That was one of the things I demanded when I asked Ranger to look for me a place. I didn't want to have to cart a baby and baskets down stairs to wash my clothes.

The night before Zero's return, I invited Joe and Karen over for Pizza and a game. Joe brought beer, but he was the only one to drink it. I was nursing and Karen was pregnant. Half-way through the game, Ranger came over and finished watching it with us. It felt really strange seeing how friendly Joe and Ranger were acting. I guess once I was out of the picture, they had no reason to compete with each other. Joe and Karen left right after the game was over and Ranger stayed to help me clean up.

"How you holding up?" He asked once the trash was thrown away and the cans put in the recycling bin.

"Okay I think. I'm still freaking out, but I'm trusting in my feelings. I'm going to fight for what I want." I plopped down on the couch with AJ to feed him before he went to bed.

Ranger watched me as I pulled my breast out and attached my son to it. It should have weirded me out that he was watching, but he had seen it all before. In fact he had been in the same position of AJ so I just shrugged it off.

"I'm glad you're going to fight. Don't let him be an ass to you like you let me." He sat beside me and ran a finger down AJ's face.

"I didn't really have a choice with you. If I pushed you too much, I thought I would lose you for good. I couldn't handle that." Ranger nodded because he knew it was true. We sat silently both watching AJ eat, each lost in our own thoughts.

"Do you ever wish this was our life?" Damn, didn't Joe ask me that question a few days ago?

"There was a time when I prayed for this to be our life. I wanted this with you for so long, but deep down I knew it would never happen. You know I love you, Ranger. You know I would do anything for you. Anything except settle for less than I deserve." He understood what I was saying. It's the same thing he's been telling me for years. He was just not able to give me everything that I needed in a relationship.

"If it helps, I'm sorry that I can't be that for you." He brushed a curl away from my eyes.

"Don't be sorry for being you. I left Joe because he kept trying to change me into what he wanted. I realized that I was praying for you to change so I could be with you, and that's not right either. We are who we are and shouldn't have to change to make other people comfortable or happy." He smiled and kissed me gently on the lips.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Zero is a damn lucky man. You are probably the only woman alive that I would change for and you didn't even ask me to. You're an amazing woman, Stephanie Plum." I kissed him gently and popped my breast out of AJ's sleeping mouth.

"Will you burp him while I get changed for bed?" Ranger took the baby out of my arms and rested him up on his shoulder. I walked to my bedroom and changed quickly into my lounge pants and tank top. I brushed my teeth and did my other night-time rituals while Ranger took care of the baby.

When I walked back into the living room, Ranger wasn't sitting on the couch anymore. I found him in the nursery putting AJ in his crib and covering him up with the warm blanket. He whispered something to him in Spanish and kissed his cheek. When he turned around and saw me standing in the doorway he paused and smiled.

"What did you say to him?" My curiosity got the better of me.

"I said, 'Goodnight little one. Don't fret about tomorrow because your daddy will love you. Even if he doesn't, you'll always have me.'" He pulled me into his arms and wiped the tears away that I didn't realize were even there. "That goes for you too. Don't fret. You'll always have me." I nodded and snuggled into his embrace.

"Thank you, Ranger." I was surprised that he heard the whisper from my lips.

"Anytime, Babe."

We stood, embraced in the doorway of the nursery for a long time. Neither one of us wanted to let go of the other. The next day would forever change our relationship and we both knew it. I didn't see us being this close with Zero standing in the same room.

"Goodnight, Babe." Ranger kissed me gently on the lips and then quietly walked out of the apartment. When I heard the clicks of the locks, I let the tears fall. I turned off the lights in the apartment and checked the locks before falling into bed.

The next day was big and I needed to calm down and sleep. Everything would be fine. I was worried about nothing, right? Didn't true love always win in the end? That was a question for another day. I fell asleep that night with tears streaming down my face. I hope and prayed I was doing the right thing and that love won in the end.

Having a newborn was exhausting. I think I was awake with AJ more than I actually got to sleep that night. When I heard him fussing for his morning feeding, I decided that it was time to just get up for the day. I was tired, but maybe I could take a nap later. Oh, who was I kidding. There would be no nap. I was still freaking out about seeing Zero later.

I did the morning routine with AJ. Feeding, bath, dressed in a cute outfit - I wanted him to make a good first impression with his daddy - and then we spent some time cuddling on the couch. That was my favorite time of the day. He was usually wide awake after his bath and not hungry, so that was the time that I got to talk to him and watch his adorable baby face. He smiled at me when I talked to him and his big blue eyes watched everything that I did.

That morning, I told him all about Zero. From my first meeting with him, to our first quasi-date on Valentine's Day, to the argument that caused me to run away. It helped talking through my feelings with AJ because it helped me remember that the feelings that started to grow for Zero were real and they were still there and just as strong. Just remembering his smile made my heart beat faster.

AJ finally fell back asleep and I was able to get myself ready for the day. I took a fast shower and fixed my hair. I decided to wear a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. It wasn't my most attractive outfit, but I was a mom now and dressing up just took too much energy.

I spent the rest of the morning cleaning up the apartment as best I could. I didn't want to wake AJ, so I had to be quiet; but I was able to get most everything tidy. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was past lunch time. AJ was still sleeping so I fixed myself a peanut butter and olive sandwich and enjoyed it standing at the sink. Not the most nutritious meal, but it sure was good.

AJ woke up right as I finished my lunch and I was able to feed and change him again. I kept him awake for a little while after his feeding. I wanted him to be asleep when Zero got there so we could talk. I didn't want AJ to be the first thing he saw.

Ranger sent me a text at 1430 saying that they were on the way. ETA was 1520. AJ was still awake so I gave him a little more to eat and let him fall asleep. I was sitting on the couch holding my son with my heart beating out of my chest. I thought for sure that it was going to explode. I heard a hard knock on the door at exactly three-eighteen. I quickly put AJ in his crib and closed the nursery door.

Another knock sounded as I approached the front door and put my hand on the door knob. Before turning it, I let out a deep sigh and chanted in my head 'I could do this...I could do this...I could do this'. I slowly opened the door to reveal the man standing there with a hard look on his handsome face. Shit...could I do this?

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A/N - Don't throw stones at me for ending it here. The next chapter will be up on Wednesday or if enough people cuss me out...maybe tomorrow! : )


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Not mine..yada yada yada!

Okay! So I said that if I got enough people cussing me out then I would post early. Since my readers are so amazing...they couldn't curse me out, but did beg for an update today. Here it is, but I realized that this isn't the chapter that you all want to read so I'm posting two in one day! This is Zero's POV about everything that has happened and chapter 15 is him and Steph actually talking. I hope you all enjoy them.

Still not beta'd so please excuse my mistakes.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 14**

**Zero's POV**

How did my life get so fucked up? I had been a good guy, for the most part. I didn't run around and cause problems when I was younger. I did good in school and got decent grades. I was a good soldier and employee. So why did my life suck?

When I first met Stephanie Plum, I knew that she was someone special. Most women look at us and see a paycheck or they see a killer. Stephanie saw the person inside each of us. She never backed down from us, like she was scared. She never treated us like the thugs that other people assume we were. That first day I met her, I started to fall in love with her.

She's beautiful, and I don't just mean on the outside, although she has a smoking hot body. She's beautiful because of what's on the inside. Her outrageously big heart that accepted everyone she met. Her skips all love her because she takes the time to talk to them and she goes out of her way to help them when she can. I've been on Bomber Duty and followed her to restaurants to pick up food for the homeless lady at the bus station. She watched TV with Mooner and Dougie before carting them off to the station. She would rather inconvenience herself than one of the skips. She was always walking away and going to pick them up later. Her generosity and compassion amazed me. You don't see that very often in people.

When Ranger first introduced her to RangeMan, I thought she was just another piece of ass for him. He didn't usually bring women to the office, but he is the boss so he could do whatever he wanted. Watching Ranger and Stephanie together was always like watching a soft core porn video. They had this chemistry that ignited the entire room when they were together. I've saw their make-out sessions in the ally beside the bonds office and they were fucking HOT. Everyone could see that there was love between them, but Stephanie was always 'with' the cop and Ranger seemed to be okay with that. Their relationship was confusing as hell but none of us questioned it.

When I got the order on Valentine's Day to protect Stephanie at all costs without her being aware of the protection, I was scared shitless. I knew I could keep her safe, but I didn't want to get that close to her. I knew I would fall hopelessly in love with her if I even spent a little amount of time with her, but it was an order so I followed it.

I just watched her dance at first, hoping that I wouldn't have to approach her. Every guy in the club wanted to dance with her and I could understand why. Her outfit was sexy as hell and her moves on the dance floor were erotic and sensual; but there was something behind her eyes that I picked up on. She wasn't happy at all and, in fact she looked incredibly sad. I decided then to do anything I could to find out why and to put a smile back on her face. Hence the invite to the diner after my shift.

I knew she liked to eat and I assumed that maybe she needed a friend to talk to. When she broke down and told me about her and Ranger's non-relationship, I was shocked. I honestly thought that they were a serious couple. After the cop finally took the hint, she was at Haywood all the time and Ranger actually looked happy. I thought they were in deep, guess not.

I wanted to kick Ranger's teeth in when I found out the truth, but I didn't. I just held her as she cried about the stupid son of a bitch and I wanted nothing more than to go beat the shit out of the guy. How he could let Stephanie go, was beyond me. His loss could be my gain though.

Steph and I spent that night talking. I was ordered to take her home and make sure it was safe. The dinner and the talking weren't part of the command. It was my decision to get to know her better and to let her know me. I shared things with her that I hadn't told anyone else. She made it so easy to open up ad made me want to share myself with her.

I could feel her attraction to me almost instantly. I know that I'm a good-looking guy and had women throw themselves at me in the past. That is part of the reason that Megan and I broke up. She just couldn't handle it. I didn't lie to Stephanie about my break-up. Megan really did decide that we should take a break. She wanted to see who else was out there that might be a better match for her. It wasn't a permanent break at first, but after that first night with Steph; I called and made it permanent. I didn't want Megan anymore, I wanted Stephanie and if there was a chance to get her, I wasn't going to lose it.

She was the first person to call me anything except Zero in a long time. Even my past girlfriends didn't bother to ask what my name was. She not only asked, she called me by my given name. It made me feel special, like I was a real person to her. When I chose the name Breá, I was testing her. I knew she didn't know Irish, but she could look it up if she really wanted to. It was my way of telling her that even in the beginning, I loved her. She was my love.

That second day I took Stephanie out, that was an order from Ranger. He wanted Alvarez to make a move and wanted Steph in public. I wanted to tell her what was going on so she could protect herself, but was once again ordered to keep my mouth shut. I was just ordered to take her out, so I did and we had a blast. I knew the guys were watching us from a distance, but I didn't care. I acted like it was a real date because, in my mind, it was. I never got tired of talking to her. I never got tired of watching her eat. I did have to adjust my pants a few times because of her moans, but it was all worth it.

I deviated from the original plan and suggested a walk in the park instead of a movie. I wanted to keep talking and couldn't do that in a theater. I honestly forgot about the guys being there when we were on the bench. All I wanted to focus on was her.

When she told me about her relationship with Ranger again, I could see the tears in her eyes and I knew that she was hurting. I knew she still loved him, but my heart leapt with hope when she said that it was time for her to move on. I wanted to kiss her so bad and our lips were a breath apart. I was begging permission to take them with mine and to taste her sweet mouth. She surprised me when she closed the distance and kissed me first.

The second our lips met, my body exploded with tingles. It felt like my blood was replaced with volts of electricity. I took control of the kiss and traced my tongue around her lip, asking for permission to enter her soft mouth. She melted into me with a moan and gave me access and I took the opening. I owned her lips and her tongue. She let me do whatever I wanted to her.

I kept that first kiss gentle and caring. I didn't want to scare her with how I really felt, but inside I was ready to throw her down on the bench and fuck her brains out. I couldn't do that, though so I just kissed her and let my lips tell her how I felt. I caressed her face and loved hearing the little whimper she made when I pulled away. God I loved this woman. Right then and there it was over for me and I knew that I was in deep.

I wanted more of her. I wanted all of her. I wanted her for the rest of my life. I was brought back to reality when my phone chirped. I glanced at the message from Ranger and remembered that we were being watched. To say that he was not happy about the kiss was an understatement. I knew I would be on the mats the second I returned to Haywood, and I wasn't wrong.

I know I confused Stephanie with my attitude after getting that text. I was pissed at myself for not being aware of my surroundings. I was supposed to protect her and I let myself get so distracted that anyone could have approached us. When she was in my arms, she was all I saw. After that fucked up day, things got worse.

Ranger, Les and I were discussing her stalker when Bobby called to tell us of Steph's need for medical attention. We all took off for the garage. She wasn't one to seek help from anyone, especially doctor's so we knew it must be bad.

When we arrived at her apartment, Joe answered the door and each of us were immediately on alert. Why the fuck was he here. When he explained that she called him after the incident happened, I was a little hurt. Why would she call him and not one of us? I knew that they were still friends, but we were the ones she usually turned to for help.

She looked horrible when she walked out of her room. She was pale from the pain and couldn't stand up straight, but she still looked beautiful to me. Her sexual joking left me a little pained, but that's who Steph was. I watched her and Bobby disappear and when Bobby came back out a few minutes later, he didn't look happy.

She needed to go the hospital and it needed to be tonight. All of us hated when Stephanie was hurt and this time was worse because she didn't tell us herself. I could see how pissed off the guys were when she asked Joe to take her. Personally, I understood. She was still upset with Ranger and me. We both treated her like shit and I wouldn't want to be around us either.

Her injury was serious enough for us to talk her into staying at RangeMan. That would help with the stalker issue. She would stay inside and safe, easy. Right?Yeah, well things don't usually go as planned when Stephanie Plum is involved.

Ranger was already pissed at me for the kiss in the park. We had a meeting on the mats after I got back to the office that day. I honestly didn't care what he thought though. He lost the right to dictate who she dated. He's the one who left her. So, when I brought her back to RangeMan, I made sure that I positioned myself fully in her life. Ranger was busy with the case, so he didn't come around her.

That first night she was there, we spent I don't know how long kissing on her couch. She wanted more, and I wanted to give her more but she was still too sore. Kissing was just fine withe me. She has an amazing mouth.

We spent that next week together every night. I would bring pizza or Chinese and we would spend the evening watching TV. We spent God knows how many hours making out on the couch like teenagers, but I never allowed it go any further. I wanted to, trust me, but I wanted that to be her decision. I wasn't going to push her.

When she fell asleep on me one night, I sat on the couch holding her just staring at her beauty. She trusted me completely and I felt like shit for lying to her. My intention, that night, was to put her to bed and to walk away. When I carried her into the room and removed her bra (because honestly, can you sleep comfortably in a bra?), I started to pull away to leave, but she whined and pulled me closer to her. I had no choice but to remove my pants and climb in next to her. I had spent the night with her before, so this was nothing new. We made sure to keep our distance in the bed. Until that next morning.

The next morning, hell...the next whole day was amazing. When she initiated the sex, I was blown away. I knew from watching her and Ranger together that she would be phenomenal in bed and I wasn't disappointed. She was so responsive to my touches and the little noises she made drove me insane.

We spent all morning and most of the afternoon in bed together. The sex was beyond anything that I ever imagined, but my favorite moments were the soft whispered conversations we had in between orgasms. When she asked about my tattoos, I was worried that they bothered her. Some women find them unattractive. I was impressed when she kissed each and every one of them on my body. Her actions told me just how she felt about the ink and she wasn't disgusted by it.

After that conversation, Steph passed out from sheer exhaustion so I let her sleep. I was almost asleep too when I heard a knock on her door. I decided to get up and answer it. I wish now that I hadn't. Les did not look happy to see me half-dressed in her apartment. You could smell the sex in the air and see the love bites on my body. The discussion that followed was not a pleasant one.

When Stephanie came out to confront us, I was shocked that she understood the word 'whore'. Les didn't call her a whore directly. What he said was that I was treating her just like a whore. He had no clue about my feelings, so I could kind of understand his concerns for her. We were both so angry at each other that neither of us noticed Steph leaving.

With a stalker on the loose, Steph's not supposed to go anywhere alone. So when I realized that she was gone, I threw on some clothes and ran down to the garage. I saw her with Tank and immediately felt relieved. He wouldn't let anything happen to her so I went back into the apartment to finish the conversation with Les. We tried to talk but we were called up to Ranger's office for a meeting. Alvarez was close and we needed to step up the protection. We didn't know then that we were already too late.

When the alarm sounded from her panic button, every guy in the office was on the move. Ranger stopped us from entering her apartment as soon as we got there. Alvarez was dangerous and we didn't want to scare him. We needed to come up with a plan and execute it perfectly. That twenty minutes standing in her parking lot was the longest twenty minutes of her life.

We finally entered the apartment and Ranger slowly walked back toward the bedroom. We could hear Alvarez speaking and his words made me sick. When I stepped into her bedroom doorway with my gun locked on his head, the sight of Stephanie broke my heart.

I could see the bruises and the blood and I knew that he had sexually assaulted her. A bullet to his brain was too good a death for him. I wanted cause him pain, but my orders were given; shoot to kill. He had a knife on Steph's throat and we were taking no chances.

I don't regret killing him. He's not the first or the last person that I will kill. It's a fact of who I am. It's what I do. I can't change it, and I would do anything to protect the woman that I love. Anything.

When she collapsed in her bedroom and then wouldn't wake up for two and half weeks, I was frantic. The doctor's and Bobby assured me that she was fine. Her broken and abused body needed rest to heal and it was getting it. I still didn't like it. I wanted to hold her and help her. I wanted to be there for her.

I wanted to kill Bobby and Lester for talking about our relationship in front of her. I had every intention of telling her the truth when she got better. I wanted her in my life and I was going to fight for her. Those two clowns ruined everything. In the span of a ten minute conversation, they shattered the trust she had in each and every one of us. They destroyed her faith in us.

I can't blame them for everything. Ranger and I share a vast majority of the guilt. Seeing the pain in her eyes when the truth finally came out was enough to crush me. I didn't ever want to see that pain in her eyes ever again. If she gave me the chance, I would make sure she never felt that hurt again.

When she told me she needed space and couldn't be around me, my heart shattered. She was pushing me away and I wasn't sure if she would ever let me back in. I had lost her trust and maybe I didn't deserve to ever get it back.

She shut all of us out that day. She went home with Joe and sent him to get her things from Haywood. When he spoke to us in the lobby, his anger was evident but what hurt the most was when he told us that Stephanie didn't want anything to do with us. Every guy that worked there was pissed at Ranger and I. We were called to the mats by every man there. I still have bruises from the beatings they gave us.

We respected Steph's need for space. She was staying at Joe's so we didn't worry about her too much. It wasn't until Joe delivered the letters that we began to worry. She had left. She left and didn't tell anyone where she was going. I didn't know if she was sick, or injured, or lost, or alone, or sad. I didn't know anything. Just what she wrote in that damn letter. I read that stupid thing everyday for the past nine months. The words she wrote and her tone in the words gave me hope that she would come back to me.

I had to leave. After reading that letter, I called my handler and volunteered for whatever he had. Call me a coward or a pussy, but can you blame me? I had hurt the woman that I loved and I needed to do something to redeem myself. I don't regret my decision.

It was a hellish mission and I thanked God for the distractions that allowed me to push the thoughts of Stephanie out of my mind. It hurt too much to think about her. Returning to Trenton was hard, but it was time. My mission was over and I needed to return to reality, but being there just made me miss Stephanie even more.

Ranger was waiting for me when I stepped off the plane. His eyes were covered by dark glasses and his posture was rigid. He's always on the job. I approached him and shook his offered hand.

"Welcome back." I nodded in thanks and we made our way to the SUV that he drove.

"You're off-line for two weeks. Standard procedure, but before I take you to the office we've got one stop to make." I raised my eye brow. I knew I would be off-line. Maybe I would head to Cali to see my family or Oregon to see my new niece.

"What's the stop?" Not that it mattered. He was driving so I had no choice.

"Apartment. You'll need to go up and talk to the occupant. No arguments, it's an order." Fuck. I didn't want to talk to anyone except Stephanie, but I doubted she would even look at me much less talk to me.

"Have you heard from Steph?" I didn't think he'd tell me even if he had. I didn't know how serious they looked for her after I left.

"We searched for her and got a hit in Columbus Ohio, but lost track of her from there. Joe promised that she's fine and happy. Let's leave it at that." I turned and looked out the window at the passing houses. It pissed me off that she was still talking to Joe. I never thought I would be jealous, but damn it I was.

We pulled into a newly built apartment complex at three-fifteen. I didn't know anyone that lived there so I had no clue as to why I was there.

"Apartment 313. I'll wait ten minutes if you want a ride back to the office. After that, you're on your own." I was so confused.

"What's this about?" He glared at me thinking about what he wanted to say. Ranger isn't a very emotional or expressive man, but that afternoon I could almost see the war waging in his head.

"This is your redemption. Don't fuck this up. Now go." That didn't help me understand what the fuck was going on but I climbed out of the SUV and made my way inside the building. I climbed the three flights of stairs and found unit 313. I knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. Well this had been enlightening. I almost walked away, but something told me to knock again, so I did.

I heard the locks on the other side of the door tumble and then it was slowly opened. The hard look that hadn't left my face since reading the letter melted the second that I saw who stood in front of me.

My love, my life, my air, my everything stood there looking like the most beautiful creature that I've ever seen. I didn't know why I was here. Was I here so she could tell me to get lost or has she forgiven me? Will she give us a chance? I guess my questions were about to be answered because before I knew it, I was invited inside.

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A/N - The next chapter should be up too. Let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine. Just playing with the characters that JE created. I'll return them when I'm done.

Here's the promised second chapter for today and the one that you all have been waiting for. I hope I don't disappoint.

Still not beta'd so please excuse my mistakes.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 15**

SPOV

Seeing Zero standing at my door was the most amazing sight. His skin was tanned from his time in the sun and he was more muscled - if that was even possible. His hair was buzzed short and his eyes sparkled with something raw - vulnerability, hope, love?. He was the most gorgeous man who I've ever seen and at that moment I knew that I still loved him with everything in me.

"You want to come in?" I stepped aside and watched him walk into the apartment. We stood awkwardly for a few seconds before my burg manners kicked in.

"Would you want a bottle of water or some tea?"

"Water would be good." He followed me into the kitchen looking around at my new home.

"This is very nice. Much bigger than your old apartment." I looked around and had to agree with him. The new digs put my old apartment to shame.

"Thanks. I really like it." We both fell silent and I couldn't figure out why, but standing there with Zero felt so awkward.

"Do you want to go to the living room so we can sit down? We would be more comfortable." Zero nodded and followed me into the living room. I pointed to the overstuffed couch and we both sat down. Nope didn't fix the awkwardness and it actually made it worse. I opened my mouth to talk, but snapped it shut. Why was this so damn hard?

"Why is this so weird?" Zero's voice brought me out of my internal monologue and I laughed at his facial expressions.

"I have no clue. I pictured this happening differently." I imagined a passionate kiss and confessions of undying love, but I guess I had read too many romance novels. This wasn't fiction, this was real life.

"I didn't expect to see you when that door opened. I'm not sure who I expected, but it wasn't you. I honestly thought you'd never want to see me again." He hung his head in shame and I felt bad for how I treated him. I scooted on the couch so that I could lift his face to mine with a finger under his chin.

"I'm so sorry for running away, Noah. It wasn't fair to you to just leave without talking to you. You deserved so much better than that." His eyes were looking deep into mine and I could read every emotion on his face.

"You don't have to apologize to me. You had every right to leave and get away from me and from the guys at RangeMan. We betrayed you and hurt you. I'm sorry for doing that to you, Breá." I choked back a sob when he called me my special name. Maybe he still loved me too.

"Why did you choose that nickname?" His warm hand brushed a tear off of my face.

"Because even in the beginning, I loved you. My feelings were never a lie. I've loved you for so damn long. You know that Breá means love?" I nodded my head and he smiled his crooked smile that still made my knees weak.

"Then you know that you are my love. You are my life, Steph. You are everything that I want and everything that I need. The past nine months have been unbearable." His hand stroked my face so tenderly.

"Do you want me Stephanie?" His voice was soft and I almost didn't hear his question. I didn't have to think about my answer and there was no hesitation when I answered.

"More than you'll ever know. I fell in love with you I think that first night at the diner and I've never stopped lovi..." I couldn't finish my statement because his lips were on mine in a hungry kiss. I tasted the tears from my face and then a felt a few drop from his eyes too. His lips moved against mine just like they had all those months ago. Nothing had changed between us during our time apart.

As hard as it was, I pulled away from him before I let myself get too carried away. We had entirely too much to talk about and I couldn't have sex anyway. Stupid six-week rule.

"Please. Let me talk for a second. I need to tell you something and I don't know how you're going to react so I'm scared." I looked at him. His eyes were questioning me. He sat back on the couch giving us some distance. I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then let out a deep breath to prepare myself.

"That day in the hospital that I found out about everything, I also learned something else." I paused to look at him. There was a look of concern on his face.

"I found out that I was pregnant." Shock and anger flashed across his face and he stood up from the couch and began pacing around my living room.

"Please let me explain..."

"Explain? It's a little late for explanations. Does Ranger know?" I was really confused by his question. Why would it matter if Ranger knew?

"He knows. He was there when AJ, my son, was born in Greenville, but why does that matter?" I was still confused, but Zero's anger was evident and I started to get worried.

"He's the father. That should matter a whole hell of a lot. Why isn't he here right now?" Oh, now it makes sense. Guess I should have been more clear in the beginning.

"No, no, no. AJ isn't Ranger's son." Zero whipped around and glared at me.

"Then who is?" He was still angry, but I guess he had a right to be.

"AJ isn't his real name. I named him after two really important people in my life. Allen, after his FATHER and Jacob after a dear friend who sacrificed himself to keep us safe." Zero's face turned pale when the understanding finally hit him. He collapsed on the couch and looked at me with tears in his eyes.

"He's mine?" He looked so broken and so hopeful at the same time. I scooted closer to him and grabbed his hand.

"He's yours. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you." He hushed me before I could say anything else and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. We sat quietly with our foreheads resting together for a few moments.

"Would you like to meet him?" His eyes got big and he nodded his head.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." I wanted to take a minute to center myself with my son before introducing him to Zero. I needed to take a few deep breaths and calm my emotions if I was going to get through this.

AJ was awake in his crib looking around at the things around him and smiled when he looked at me. I did a quick diaper change and made sure his clothes were clean. First impressions are important after all.

"Are you ready to meet your daddy, little man? He's going to love you just like I do. I promise."

Zero was sitting in the same spot. His eyes followed me as I walked into the room holding his son. I placed my son into the arms of his dad and sat beside them. Zero looked at his son in wonder and I watched him with love.

"God, Breá. He's beautiful. I can't believe he's mine." Zero ran his finger down AJ's face and got a smile from him for his efforts.

"We made a pretty handsome baby. He's a good kid too." Zero looked at me again with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, Stephanie." I leaned over and kissed his luscious lips.

"I should thank you. You had a hand in making him too." He smiled at me.

"True." We sat for several silent minutes just watching AJ. When he started to get fussy and when he started rooting in Zero's chest, I couldn't hold back the chuckle. I picked him up out of Zero's arms and adjusted him for a feeding. I didn't bother with covering or leaving the room. Zero's seen it all before and will hopefully want to get re-acquainted with it soon.

"I don't think your daddy has the equipment to feed you little guy. That is mommy's job." Zero watched with fascination as AJ attached his little mouth to my breast.

"Is it wrong that watching that is turning me on?" I laughed. Sadly, he wasn't the first person to say that, but I'm not going to mention that.

"Not at all. I told him the first time I fed him that he was a natural. Just like his daddy." Zero scooted closer to get a better look of our son. He kissed me again and then kissed AJ's head.

"Did you want this to be our life, Breá? I mean, we never talked about kids or anything when we were together. Is this what you want?" He was the third guy to ask me that question. With Joe and Ranger, I may have loved them but I couldn't see either of them doing the family thing with me. I wanted that and more with Zero.

"You are the only man who I want this with. I love you and I love our son. He may not have been planned, but he is most definitely wanted, at least by me. The question is...do you want this? I can't take it back so if you don't want kids, then you can't have me." I looked into his eyes and prayed that he wanted us...that he wanted me.

"I love you so much Stephanie. I never thought I would ever love someone else even half as much until I met him. I love you both more than anything else. Never question how much I want you both in my life." I saw the truth in his words behind his eyes.

"I love you too, Noah." He smiled a full smile at me. I guess he missed hearing his name just as much as I missed saying it.

We spent the rest of that day together as a family. AJ napped off-and-on on both of us and Zero and I spent hours just talking about our plans. We wanted to be together, but we wanted to give the relationship a real chance. I wanted him to move in with me, but he decided to go back to RangeMan for a while. He wanted to take me out and do everything that boyfriends did.

After a dinner of delivery Chinese food, Zero announced that it was time for him to go. So after a passionate filled goodbye kiss, one of the guys picked him up so I wouldn't have to take AJ out at night. When I finally got AJ settled in his crib, I fell into bed exhausted - mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Sleep came immediately and I was able to sleep soundly in between the feedings. When I rolled out of bed the next morning I felt well rested, alive and happy. It was going to be a good day.

I didn't have any plans for the day and had originally thought that I would spend it inside with AJ. I guess Zero had other plans because my phone ringing that morning startled me from my morning musings and woke up AJ. I answered the phone before taking care of the crying baby.

"Hello?" I tried really hard to not sound pissed off, but not sure I pulled it off.

"Steph? Is everything okay?" Zero sounded worried because I'm sure he could hear AJ crying in the background.

"Everything's fine. Just getting ready to feed your son. He's a little impatient this morning." I chuckled when I heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"Sounds just like you in the morning." He laughed. "I was on my way over there and thought I better call first. I don't know your schedule. Is it okay if I come over for the day?" God he was so cute.

"You can come over anytime you want. I even have an extra key for you so you don't have to pick the locks." He laughed.

"I'll stop by the Tasty Pastry on my way. Any requests." If I didn't love him before, I sure as hell did at that moment.

"You know what I like, sexy." Oh snap. Where did that sexy kitten voice come from? I heard him growl and swear under his breath.

"You bet I do. I'll be there soon. I love you." He hung up before I could respond but I didn't really care. I really enjoyed hearing those three words from him.

I hung up and got AJ's needs taken care of and put him in his mini RangeMan uniform because Zero would get a kick out of it. He looked like a mini version of his father and it made me laugh seeing him dressed in black cargos and a tight black T-shirt

I was sitting in my normal couch position feeding AJ when I heard the locks tumble on my door. I should have been worried, but I wasn't because I knew it was Zero. Sure enough, a few seconds after I heard the door close he walked into the living room carrying a white pastry box. My two favorite things - my sexy man and donuts.

"Didn't want to wait for me to answer the door this morning, huh?" He smiled.

"Nah, I wanted to test the locks to see how good they are. They're really nice. It took me awhile to get them unlocked." I rolled my eyes and pulled AJ off my breast. He was almost asleep and I still needed to burp him. Zero took him from my arms and replaced him with the white box. I opened the box to see a dozen Boston Creme donuts. I moaned before I even tasted one. Zero was walking around with AJ on his shoulder trying to get him to burp. It was a touching sight to see.

"What are your plans for this week and next?" He interrupted my moans with his question. Plans for next week, sheesh? I barely had plans for the next hour.

"I've got none. What's on your agenda?" He smiled and then sat beside me wiping a dollop of crème off my lip. He stuck the finger with the sugary goodness into his mouth and I moaned louder than normal. It had been a long time since my last orgasm and that was almost to much for me to see.

"I was hoping that you and AJ would be able to go to California and Oregon with me to see my family. My brother and his wife are hosting Thanksgiving dinner early and invited me. I haven't told them about you or AJ and I thought it would be a good surprise." Oh my god. He wanted me to meet his family? Shit, shit, shit!

"Don't freak out. They're going to love you, just like I do." He kissed my lips suddenly I would agree to just about anything now.

"That sounds like fun. Are we flying or driving?" AJ was a good travel baby, but I wasn't sure how he would like a cross-country drive.

"Ranger offered the use of the company jet. It would be easier to use it instead of commercial flights or driving. What do you think?" I really wanted to go with him so I nodded and smiled at the gorgeous man beside me.

"Private jet sounds fun. When do we leave?" He smiled at me and kissed me again.

"Tomorrow morning. We can go see your parents today if you'd like. I would like to introduce myself to them properly." I couldn't believe that he was volunteering to go to my parents. All the guys avoided my parents like the plague. Well, maybe it's just my grandma they avoided.

"Sounds great. Can you watch him while I get ready?" I pointed to the sleeping baby in his arms.

"Of course. Take your time. I'll talk to my son." I stood from the couch and paused to kiss him deeply on the lips before making my way into my bedroom.

I took my time in the shower, enjoying the freedom. I'm used to rushing so AJ isn't left alone very long, but since Zero was here; I indulged myself. I got dressed and fixed my hair and makeup. I didn't do a whole lot of primping those days - I just didn't care what people thought of me anymore.

I walked back into the living room to hear Zero talking to AJ who was awake and looking at him intently. I decided to eavesdrop on their private conversation. I missed the first half of what he said, but the second half made me cry.

"...so scared that I'm going to be a bad father. I mean, I'm not dad material. I do bad things for money. That's not something that a good father does. However, I'm never going to leave you or mommy. I promise you that I'm going to do the best that I can. I promise to always be there when either of you need me. I promise to protect you both at all costs. I will never let anything bad happen to you. I might not be the best daddy in the world, but I'll always love you and mommy. I can promise you that. You have the best mommy in the world. She's smart and beautiful and she has the biggest heart that I've ever seen in someone. She loves unconditionally. She is the love of my life and if you promise to keep a secret, I'll tell you something important." He paused and tickled AJ under his chubby chin. AJ smiled and wiggled in his lap.

"I'm going to ask mommy to marry me. You think she'll say yes?...Good, I think so too. All I have to do if figure out the perfect time to do it. Will you help me?" I walked back to my room and sat on my bed. Was I ready for marriage? Damn straight! When Joe used to mention marriage, I would start hyperventilating and run away. It surprised me that I didn't feel any of that when I heard Zero talk about marriage. I didn't want to run away from him, I wanted to run to him and say yes right now.

I wiped the tears away and tried to fix my make up so Zero wouldn't know I had been crying. I didn't want to admit that I overheard his conversation. I got myself taken care of and made sure to make noise when I walked out of my room that time.

"Alright. I'm ready if my boys are." Zero stood and smiled at me.

"I'm ready, but I think your son needs a diaper change. That last smile he gave me came with some rumblings down below." I laughed out loud and took AJ from Zero and walked back to the nursery to change him. Zero watched us from the doorway taking in everything that I did.

"We're ready now daddy. All clean and fresh." He chuckled as I got AJ buckled into his car seat. I handed Zero the stocked diaper bag and ushered us all out the door.

We walked down to the parking lot together and I headed toward my car since that is where the base was buckled in but Zero guided me toward the RangeMan SUV.

"Ranger bought the same car seat so there is always a base in an SUV for us to use. He told me that was the job of the Godfather." Oh snap. I forgot about that.

"Are you mad that I asked him to be AJ's Godfather?" I really expected him to be upset but he shook his head.

"Nope. It makes sense. Ranger and I had a long talk last night when I got back to the office. We came to some understandings." I didn't ask for the details because I'm not sure I wanted to know what those understandings were.

The drive to my parents was quiet. My hand rested comfortably in Zero's and AJ snored lightly from the back seat. My mom and grandma were waiting for us outside when we parked at the curb. I'll never understand how they did that.

"Stephanie. It's so good to see you and AJ." Mom was nearly bouncing on her toes. "And this must be Noah. It's a pleasure to meet you young man. Come in and bring that adorable baby with you." My mom and grandma walked back into the house and Zero and I stood on the porch shocked.

"Thank you, Mrs. Plum. It's a pleasure to finally meet you and Mrs. Mazur. I know where Stephanie gets her beauty now." Both women blushed and I rolled my eyes.

"Please call me Helen, son. Come in and get comfortable. I'll get us some drinks." We walked into the living room and my dad hopped up out of his chair.

"Dad, this is Noah Wilson. Noah, my dad Frank Plum." They shook hands and then dad reached for AJ in the seat.

"Pleasure to meet you son. Now, let me see my grandson." I laughed and watched as my dad unbuckled and picked up the bundle.

"Pleasure is mine, Mr. Plum. You've got a great daughter.'

"I know and you both created a great kid. Call me Frank." Zero nodded and sat beside me on the couch. Grandma plopped down beside him.

"You can call me kitten because I'm feeling a little frisky." I tried to stifle a laugh when I felt him shudder.

"Grandma, please leave Noah alone. You can be frisky with any other guy." He grabbed my knee and squeezed in a silent thanks.

"Okay, baby girl. Only because he belongs to you." She stood and walked to the kitchen to help mom.

We stayed all day and enjoyed lunch with my family. Surprisingly there weren't any rude comments or mention of marriage. My parents seemed to love Noah and he seemed to fit right in with them. Grandma even behaved herself. I was truly impressed.

We bowed out of dinner, saying that we had plans even though we didn't. We decided to go to Pino's as a family for dinner. We sat ourselves in the back booth with Zero's back to the wall and AJ beside him and me and on the other side.

It seemed like everyone stopped to welcome me home and to congratulate me on the baby. Everyone was friendly to Zero and congratulated him on AJ too. It was a surreal experience, but it also made us feel like a real family.

Joe and Karen came in right as we were done and stopped to say hi. I could feel the tension between Zero and Joe right off the bat.

"Hi, Cupcake. How are you and my little guy today?" Way to escalate the tension Joe.

"Hey Joe. We're great. You remember Zero, right?" Joe offered his hand to Zero and he begrudgingly shook it. The glares they were sending each other were scary to say the least.

"Yeah, I remember him. I'm glad you made it back." Joe addressed Zero but then turned to me. "Everything going okay?" I knew he was fishing for information about Zero's and my relationship, but I wasn't ready to share that just yet.

"Everything's great. How are you doing Karen? Any problems with the pregnancy?" Zero's eyes widened. I guess he didn't know about Joe becoming a dad too. Karen smiled from beside Joe and rubbed her belly.

"I'm great. You really helped a lot with all the advice and tips. Thanks Steph. Joey, I'm going to grab that booth before someone else does." She said goodbye and walked to the only open booth in the place.

"I guess that's my que to go too. It was good to see you, Steph. Zero...take care of them." Joe glared at Zero for a second and then when Zero nodded slightly, he walked to join Karen in their booth.

"Jeeze. You two want to puff your chests out more or maybe whip out your dicks and compare them? I thought Joe and Ranger were bad." I giggled. "You have nothing to worry about, Noah. Joe and I are friends. He's quite happy with Karen." My words seemed to relax him, but I could still tell something was still wrong.

"Let's get AJ home and in bed and we can spend some alone time together." That snapped him out of this jealous haze and he smiled at me. When all else fails, make a guy focus on sex.

Zero paid the bill and we drove quietly to my apartment. Zero watched as I fed and changed AJ and then we put him to bed so we could have our alone time. Zero and I snuggled up together on my couch and immediately his lips were on mine.

"Do you know how much I missed you, Breá?" I couldn't think straight with his lips moving against my skin, so a groan was all he got in response to his question. "I can feel how much you missed me, my love. It's a shame we can't finish what we started." I felt his hardness pressed into my thigh and I moaned again.

"You're evil, Noah Wilson." He laughed and kissed me on the forehead.

"Maybe, but you love me anyway." I smiled and rested my head over his heart. I did love him. I loved him more than I ever thought possible. For the first time in my life, I felt complete. I had the love of a great man and I had an amazing son. What more could a girl ask for?

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A/N - What did you think? Let me know, good...bad...or ugly. We've only got about six more chapters to go. The next few will be with Zero's family on the West Coast. I should have the next chapter up tomorrow. : )


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **Characters that you recognize don't belong to me.

Thank you all so much for the reviews and favorite/follows. I'm horrible at replying to them, but I read every single one of them. I'm so glad that everyone is enjoying this story so much! Keep the reviews coming.

OH...there is a little smut in this chapter...just warning you.

Still no beta so all mistakes are mine and mine alone! I hope there aren't too many.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 16**

The next morning came entirely too soon. Zero left to go back to Haywood well past midnight. We spent the time before that cuddled together on the couch. I still couldn't have sex for a couple more weeks which was okay with me. I didn't really want to rush into that type of relationship again. We kissed and that's all. Well, we kissed A LOT and there was some groping, but that's all. I Promise!

I had AJ packed and ready to go to the airport by the time Zero knocked on the door. He looked relaxed and comfortable in his faded jeans and old Army T-shirt. Well, honestly, he looked yummy and when I subconsciously licked my lips, I saw his eyes darken and his gaze turned hungry. I guess we both were a little starved, but we still had to wait to feed those beasts.

"I've got to throw some things in a bag for myself. Will you watch AJ?" Zero nodded and walked toward me. He gave me a passion filled kiss that had my knees buckling. We were both breathing heavy when he finally pulled away and held me at arm's length away from him.

"Good morning, Breá. I would be happy to watch him while you finish packing." He kissed my nose and patted my butt toward the bedroom.

"I won't be long." I yelled as I finished throwing my stuff in my suitcases. I fixed my disheveled appearance and wheeled my bags to the front door.

Zero was adjusting AJ in the car seat and I watched in absolute fascination as he snapped him in with no problems. It took me at least a week to figure out how to get him into that damn thing and get everything buckled. Zero had him in and buckled in 3 seconds only using one hand. RangeMen could do anything I guess.

"I'm ready if my boys are." I peeked over Zero's shoulder to see AJ almost asleep in his seat. "He'll sleep until we get to the airport, but he'll need to eat soon after."

"Let's go then. The private jet is waiting for us." I grabbed the car seat and Zero somehow managed to grab all the suitcases. I'm not a light packer, so that was a feat of strength.

The flight to California was uneventful. AJ slept most of the time after eating and Zero and I talked more about his family. We were meeting his dad and wife for dinner that night after we arrived. His two half-sisters were away at some sports camp, so I would have to meet them later. The next day was lunch with his mom and her husband at a local diner. We would be on our own the next three days then we would drive up to his brother's house in Medford, Oregon for Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family. It shocked me that both his parents would be there with their spouses. He explained that the divorce was mutual and they remained friends afterwards. I shuddered when I thought about being friend's with Dickie.

When we landed in California, there was a shiny black SUV waiting for us on the tarmac. Inside was the base to AJ's car seat. I would really need to ask Ranger how he managed to do everything so quickly. It was almost like he thought about it, and it happened.

Zero loaded our luggage in while I locked in AJ and we drove off toward town. Since this was the town that Zero grew up in, he had to take me by all of his old haunts. When we passed the sign for the town, I almost pissed myself laughing so hard.

"You grew up in Weed? How did you not turn into a stoner? I think I would smoke all the time if I lived in a town called weed." He laughed with me and shook his head.

"There's a lot of pot grown around here, but I never touched the stuff. It never appealed to me. I have a friend who owns his own pot farm. I might just take you by there later." I was shocked.

"How doesn't he get arrested? I thought pot was illegal." It was illegal in Jersey at least. That's why I have to pick up Mooner and Dougie on a regular basis.

"It's legal to grow out here and smoke for medicinal reasons. There are some pot shops that sell a variety of stuff. The local government has regulations on their growers, but it's not too bad. My friend doesn't smoke his crop, just sells it." I was dumbstruck now. I would lose two constant FTA's if they heard about this town.

"Don't tell Mooner and Dougie. I don't want to lose them as regulars and if they heard about this dreamland, I would never see them again." He laughed and shook his head because he knew it was true.

We pulled into the driveway of a nice looking house. It was an older ranch style, but it was well maintained and the landscaping was immaculate.

"This is my house." I turned and looked at him. I had no clue he owned his own house out here.

"I don't get out here very much, so my neighbor takes care of it for me. I like to have a comfortable place to stay when I come visit my family." He unloaded AJ and we walked, hand in hand, up to the front door. Zero unlocked it and turned off the alarm.

"You look around while I unload the suitcases." He dropped a kiss on my head and disappeared out the door. The inside of the house was amazing too. The kitchen was large and inviting with new appliances. The dining room held the biggest table that I've ever seen. I guess he liked to entertain here too. The living room was comfortable with a huge TV on one wall and an amazing couch on the other. I sat AJ down and flopped into the cozy material. I could live on this couch. It was amazing.

"If you think the couch is comfortable, wait until you feel the bed." Zero was watching me with a look of amusement. I rolled my eyes and stood up off the couch. I took AJ out of his seat and walked around with him to finish my tour.

"You want to finish giving me the grand tour?"

"Absolutely. Then we can relax until dinner." Zero kissed me and led me to the rest of the house.

The master suit was off the kitchen. The bed was a cherry sleigh bed and huge. I could tell just by looking at it that it was going to be comfortable. I handed AJ to Zero and with a running jump, I flopped onto the bed. Zero wasn't lying. This bed was fan-freaking-tastic. I might not get out of it.

"That sounds like a good idea to me." I was enjoying the bed and didn't realize that Zero had sat beside me. His voice so close to my ear made me jump which made him laugh. I finished exploring the master bathroom and then walked back out to the kitchen.

Zero led me to the other bedrooms in the other half of the house. Two were decorated comfortably and looked inviting for the guests. The last room we looked in shocked me. It was the perfect nursery for AJ. The furniture was dark and the colors were perfect. It wasn't the sock monkey room back home, but it was equally as gorgeous.

"How did you do this? You didn't even know about him." I stood shocked in the room.

"The second I found out, I sent my decorator on a mission to get this room done. I was surprised when she said she had it finished." He walked over to me and closed my mouth with one finger. "It helps to have a whole lot of money to spend." He laughed when I rolled my eyes. AJ stirred and started to wake up so I decided to feed him so maybe I could catch a nap.

Once I got the baby put down, Zero and I retreated to the master bedroom with the baby monitor in hand. I hadn't been that far way from AJ before, so I was a little worried. Zero assured me that he would be just fine. We both fell onto the comfortable bed and I curled myself into Zero's embrace. I fell asleep almost instantly being wrapped in the arms of the man that I love. What could be better?

I woke up hours later, well rested and confused. Where the hell was I? Oh yeah...Zero's house in California. I glanced at the clock and jumped out of bed. I slept 5 hours. AJ was probably screaming for food.

I rushed into the nursery and found AJ sound asleep in Zero's arms. There was a bottle sitting on the floor and I smiled at the man in the chair. I had pumped some milk into bottles to use tonight at dinner, but I guess Zero wanted to let me sleep.

"Hey sleeping beauty. Feel better?" I kissed his lips and AJ's head.

"Much. Thank you for taking care of him." I sat on Zero's lap and rested my head on his firm shoulder.

"I'll always take care of him and you." He gave me a gentle kiss and I felt my hormones stir which wasn't good. I was still on restrictions.

"What time do we need to leave?" I whispered. Not because of the baby sleeping, but because I didn't think my voice was strong enough. That kiss fried my brain.

"We've got about an hour before we need to leave. I can get AJ ready, you just worry about you." He kissed me again and I knew I needed to get off his lap and away from him. I was ready to forget the restrictions and screw him on the floor of our son's nursery. What kind of mom does that?

"I'm going to shower then. Let me know if you need help with him." Zero nodded and I made my retreat to the bathroom.

By the time I showered and fixed my hair, I only had about fifteen minutes to get dressed. That caused me to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. Zero had told me not to worry about what I wore. It was just dinner at his dad's. What he didn't understand is that I was meeting his dad for the first time, so I wanted to make a good impression.

I settled on wearing a comfortable wrap-around dress and some low heals. I grabbed a sweater, just in case it got cold. Few swipes of mascara and I was ready to go.

Just like Zero promised, AJ was clean, dressed and strapped in his car seat. Zero looked unbelievable sexy in jeans and a light blue button down shirt. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows and the top two buttons were left undone. I wanted to lick that patch of skin that was visible under his collar.

I didn't get to lick, instead we all got bundled into the car and drove to his father's house. It was also the house that Zero grew up in so I was excited to see his old room. When we pulled up in the driveway, Zero turned and looked at me.

"I haven't told anyone about you or AJ so they're going to be shocked. But don't worry, they're all going to love you." I was nervous, but excited at the same time.

Zero took AJ out of the back and I met him around the front of the vehicle to walk to the door. Before he had a chance to knock, the door was forced open and a big man was smiling at Zero.

"There's my favorite youngest son." Zero sat AJ's seat down and was engulfed in his dad's arms. I could tell that they had a good relationship just by watching their interaction. When they finally broke apart, his dad noticed me for the first time.

"Did you bring me a present, son? You know I'm already happily married although, I will say that this one is a knock-out." I blushed as Zero took my hand.

"Dad this is Stephanie Plum. She's my..." He turned to me with a look of question on his face. "...girlfriend?" I smiled and nodded. His father took my hand and shook it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Stephanie. Noah's told us about you, but I didn't realize that you two were together." I think I caught a blush on Zero's face, but wasn't sure.

"Yeah, well things change Pop. I also want you to meet my son. Allen Jacob. We call him AJ." Zero's dad stopped and stared at AJ sleeping in his seat. He didn't look happy.

"I think you two have some explaining to do before we eat. Come in and let me hold my first grandson and we can talk while Melody finishes dinner." We followed him into a huge living room and were directed to sit down. His wife Melody introduced herself and brought us each a drink then retreated back to the kitchen.

Allen Sr. was sitting in a chair holding AJ. He looked at Zero and I sitting on the couch together and smiled. "Now...tell me how this little guy got here." We spent the next hour telling him about our relationship, about the assault, about me running away and having AJ. I even told him the story of CJ and how he saved our lives. Through the whole story, he just sat there staring at AJ. When we were finally done, he wiped a tear off his face and looked at us.

"Thank you for giving him life, Stephanie. I know that it wasn't easy, but from what Noah has told us about you; you are an exceptional woman. So you two are going to give this relationship a real shot?" Zero answered that question for us.

"Yes, we are. We love each other and I think everything is going to work out perfectly." I nodded in agreement. Melody called us to dinner right after that.

Dinner was a wonderful experience. Allan and Melody asked about my life and were genuinely curious about me. We spent the time talking and learning about each other. Melody took her turn holding AJ after we ate and she fell in love with him immediately, just like everyone else who held him before her.

"You know your brother had a daughter about three months ago. Have you told him about Steph and AJ?" Allen asked and Zero shook his head.

"He'll find out when we drive up there in a few days. He's going to kill me for surprising him." Allen shook his head and laughed in agreement.

"Damn straight he will. That is if your mother doesn't kill you first. She's going to flip out tomorrow. Luckily you'll be in a restaurant so she can't kill you right then. She will have to plan her attack. I would be scared if I were you. Your mother can be vicious." We all laughed about that and spent another hour talking. I loved Zero's family already and I haven't even met the majority of them. I knew the next day was going to be fun.

When it got late, Zero and I excused ourselves and headed home. We would see his dad and Melody in a few days for Thanksgiving dinner at his brother's so it wasn't a goodbye - just a see you later. AJ passed out on the drive back to the house and I followed suit. Even with my nap, I was still exhausted.

I don't remember walking into the house or going to bed, but I woke up the next morning wrapped in Zero's arms. I snuggled back into his embrace and my butt brushed against something very hard. I let out a moan and brushed against him again. I heard a growl from behind me and slowly turned to face him.

"Good morning, sexy." I kissed him gently on the lips.

"Good morning, Breá. You are an evil woman, but I love you anyway." I feigned hurt and gasped.

"Evil you say? Evil would be doing this..." I quickly slipped under the sheets so my head was at the level of the poker. He gasped and rolled onto his back as I stroked him through his boxers.

"Baby, you can't do that. We can't...holy fuck." I slowly pulled his erection out of his boxers and took him into my mouth. Just because I couldn't have fun didn't mean I couldn't have fun. Know what I'm saying.

I loved tasting this man. He was so hard, yet his skin was so silky soft. I greedily licked the moisture that gathered on his tip and sucked it into my mouth. I heard him groan and cuss under his breath. Right as I was taking him fully into my mouth, the baby monitor began to scream. I heard a groan and then Zero's hoarse voice.

"No baby. Daddy needs mommy now. Shit." I knew AJ could wait a second and from the look of things, it wasn't going to take long to relieve Zero of his not-so-little problem.

I upped the suction and the speed of my assault. I knew just how to get him off. Sure enough, it didn't take long before he was spraying his hot seed down my throat. I continued to suck him gently and licked all the mess off of him while he tried to calm his breathing. He was whispering in another language so I assumed I did good.

When he was clean and put back into his boxers, I crawled back up and placed a kiss on his cheek. I made the move to get out of bed to get AJ, but was pulled back and was shocked when Zero's mouth crushed against mine. His tongue caressed mine and my hunger for this man grew. When I moaned, he pulled back.

"You stay. I'll bring him to you after I change him." He kissed me again and then crawled out of bed. I laid there panting with my hormones screaming for him to come back and finish what he started.

"Now who's the evil one? Jerk!" He laughed as he walked through the house to get our son.

I took the time to run to the bathroom and did my morning business. I was laying back against the headboard when Zero walked back in with AJ. He passed the crying baby off to me and watched as I pulled out my breast for him to eat. I saw the look in his eyes and had to giggle. No matter how many times he had seen it, it still turned him on.

"Daddy's jealous of you little guy. He has to share mommy with you." He chuckled and crawled up beside me. His hand caressed AJ's hair gently while he ate and my eyes watched Zero. He was obviously in love with his son. Any fool could see that. He turned his head up to me and I saw that same love in his eyes when he looked at me.

I saw everything in that gaze. I saw his hopes for our relationship. I saw his dreams of building our family. I saw his desires and his needs. He loved me, that I'm sure. He wanted to ask me something and I could see the internal war going on in his head. I wanted him to ask because I already knew the answer. Right that minute I said something that I knew was right.

"Yes." He looked at me shocked.

"I didn't ask you anything." He whispered.

"No, but you're going to. The answer now and will always be, yes." Tears filled my eyes when I saw his smile. I watched him climb out of bed and go the dresser and open a drawer. He climbed back in bed with a little black box.

"Stephanie. When I met you, I fell in love with you. I never thought that we would ever have this opportunity and I am thanking God every day that He gave it to us. You have become more than just my love. You have become my life. I don't just want you, I need you. I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you're yet to be. Will you marry me?" I knew my answer was yes, but hearing those words made me speechless. I swallowed the lump in my throat and croaked out my response.

"What did I tell you before? The answer will always be yes." He wiped the tears off my face and placed the ring on my finger. It was a gorgeous princess cut diamond set on a platinum band. There were multiple smaller baguette and round diamonds on each side.

"A wise friend once told me that love is like war; easy to begin but very hard to stop. I began falling in love with you that very first night and I've never stopped. You say that you need me, well I need you too. I love you with every ounce of my being." The words came flowing out of my mouth before I could stop them. We kissed again and then settled back into our places to watch our son eat.

It was an amazing feeling to finally understand that I've gotten everything that I ever wanted. I didn't know that I wanted a baby until I learned I was pregnant and I didn't know that I wanted to get married again until I saw the love this man had for me. It's a humbling feeling. One that I hope doesn't disappear anytime soon.

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A/N - Sorry that this is a little shorter than normal. To make up for the length, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. : )

Also...I took a little creative licensing for the town in California. I have no idea if pot is legal to grow there or not. I know that in some places in Cali, that it is legal to grow.


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **Characters don't belong to me. I'm just playing with them for a bit.

Thank you all for the reviews! I love to read your thoughts on each chapter!

Still no beta so please excuse all of my mistakes.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 17**

Lunch the next day was planned at a local café with Zero's mom and her husband. I woke up to a screaming baby and no sign of my fiancé. He appeared a minute later with a very upset AJ. I glanced at the clock and realized that he had slept longer than usual and was probably more than ready for food.

I dashed to the bathroom quickly and then settled back in bed. Zero handed me the crying baby and I immediately latched on to my breast. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't gotten up to feed him in the night like normal. Zero saw my internal thoughts and put my mind at ease.

"I heard him stirring around 0330 and grabbed one of the bottles. I hope that's okay. I wanted you to sleep longer and I enjoyed feeding him." My eyes softened. If he wanted to get up in the middle of the night for feeding, I'll pump more bottles for him. I liked my sleep.

"I don't mind. Thank you. I'll pump more bottles if you want to do it more often." His smile told me that he would enjoy that so I made a mental note to have one done for tonight. Momma was getting to sleep.

"What time do we need to leave for lunch?" I hopefully had enough time for a long soak in the gigantic bathtub.

"We'll leave here about 1230. The café is right down the road so we don't have to rush. There will be plenty of time for you to pamper yourself in my bathroom. I'll watch the little man." I smiled and stretched to kiss him on the lips. He really was a great man.

After AJ was done feasting, I passed him off to his capable daddy and locked myself in the bathroom. I spent a good two hours in the luxurious bathtub. It was heaven.

After I was fully relaxed and somewhat resembled a prune (yuck), I climbed out of the tub and decided it was time to re-enter reality. I had a kid to take care of after all, I can't sit in a bath tub all day.

Zero had AJ dressed in his mini RangeMan uniform and he looked yummy in old jeans and one of his thin Army T-shirts. I took his outfit to mean that lunch was casual so I dressed in jeans and a deep blue wrap shirt. My bigger breasts were on display in the top, but from the look on Zero's face he appreciated the show so I decided to just go with it.

I fed AJ right before we left for the café so hopefully he would sleep all through the lunch. Zero hustled us all out the door only ten minutes behind schedule. I swear it wasn't my fault, it was my hormones.

It was warm there for November so when we got the café, Zero saw his mom and her husband sitting outside on the patio. He glanced to me as if asking if it was okay to sit outside. I chuckled and nodded. AJ was wrapped warmly in the blanket and wouldn't even notice we were outside.

I wasn't as nervous today about meeting his mom. His dad had reassured me the night before that everything would be fine. I seemed to trust him. Although when a gorgeous woman approached us with a smile on her face, I felt apprehension grow in my stomach. She never took her eyes off her son and didn't even notice me standing behind him.

"Noah! It is so good to see you." She took him into his arms and hugged him tightly. She pulled away and kissed both of his cheeks and then promptly wiped off the lipstick that she left behind.

Zero hugged her back and was about to introduce us when she finally noticed me standing behind her son holding a car seat.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. Let me move my son so you can go by." She pulled Zero to the side and looked puzzled when I didn't walk past the two.

"Mom. She's with me." Zero pulled me into his side and kissed my head. "This is Stephanie Plum and our son Allen Jacob, AJ for short." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at me and at her grandson. "Steph, this is my mom Mary and her husband Paul is standing at the table."

Mary didn't say anything. She let the tears fall and I was afraid that we upset her with the surprise.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mary. Noah's told me so much about you." I tried to break her out of her stupor but it didn't work. She still just stood there crying silently.

"Mom?" Zero touched her arm, still nothing. He looked at me and shrugged. He motioned Paul over. Maybe he could help.

"Paul, mom got a shock and won't move." Zero chuckled when Paul hung his head. I guess that was normal?

"MARY! Snap out of it." Paul snapped his fingers in front of her face and she seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in.

"SON? ALLEN NOAH WILSON...what do you mean you have a son? And is this **the** Stephanie that we've heard so much about?" I swear Zero blushed and sighed.

"Can we sit down, and Steph and I will tell you the story?" Mary seemed to gather her composure quickly and nodded. She walked quickly back to the table and sat waiting for us to join.

I had to whisper to Zero as we walked over. "You got the full name. You're in trouble." He chuckled and kissed me above my ear.

"If I'm in trouble then so are you." Shit, I guess he was right.

We sat at the table with Mary and Paul. AJ was squirming in the seat so I pulled him out and held him in my arms. The second Mary laid eyes on him, the hardness that was in her face melted and she reached out for her grandson.

"Good distraction, Breá. Remind me to reward you later." Zero wiggled his eyebrows at me and I wished that I was able to receive his rewards, but alas. I still had three weeks left of no sex. GAH!

"Start talking Noah. I want every detail and I want to know why I wasn't informed of this earlier." Mary never took her eyes off AJ, but her voice was firm.

We started the story from the beginning and when it was my turn to take over, I apologized profusely. It was my fault that no one in Zero's family knew about AJ, because he didn't even know. After we were both done telling our tail, everyone at the table fell silent.

"That's quite a story. I'm glad you two have decided to give a relationship a chance." Paul spoke first and slapped Zero on the back. "He's a good-looking kid. You both should be proud."

Mary still hadn't said anything to us and wouldn't even look at us. I was worried that I had offended her or upset her someway. Finally, she looked at me and spoke again.

"Stephanie. Do you love my son?" Her hazel eyes pierced mine and she looked at me expecting an answer.

"Mary, I love Noah more than I ever thought possible. I know you must think we rushed things and that we're only getting married because of AJ. But I can assure you that once I let your son into my life, I didn't want to let him go. You have raised an amazing kid and I love him more today than I did yesterday, but nowhere near as much as I will tomorrow." I was looking in Zero's eyes when I spoke and he was staring into mine. I guess whatever Mary saw between us was enough to convince her because he smiled widely and stood to pull me into a hug. She passed AJ to Paul, who took him willingly, as her arms came around me. She hugged me tight and whispered into my ear.

"He's loved you for a long time, Stephanie. Thank you for loving him back. Welcome to the family." I pulled away and smiled at her.

After that, we all fell into comfortable conversations as we ate our lunch. Paul held AJ as he tried to eat, which was comical to watch. I learned that he never had his own children, so getting to be in AJ's life meant a lot to him. We were all enjoying our desserts when the subject of a wedding was brought up.

"So, when's the big day? I hope I get to attend the wedding." Mary was serious, but her eyes were sparkling.

"We haven't discussed it yet. I just proposed last night. And of course, you'll be invited. It will probably be in Trenton so you all will have to travel." Zero took my hand and squeezed it.

"Does your father know?" Mary looked hopeful.

"He met Stephanie and AJ last night, but he doesn't know about the proposal. We'll tell him when we see him at Luke's house. I haven't told Luke anything." Mary smiled.

"Oh, this is going to be fun. Paul, honey, we have to get to Luke's house early that day. I want a ring side seat for the show." Paul smiled and nodded. AJ fussed in his arms and I realized that he was probably getting hungry. We were done with lunch so we excused ourselves so we cold go home and feed the baby. Mary and Paul gave us both hugs and kisses and we left them sitting at the table on the patio. Zero and I took our son home. I needed some cuddle time with my two guys after that lunch.

The next three days went by in a blur. We spent the days exploring Zero's hometown and meeting numerous friends of his from high school.

The day we met his best friend's widow and son was hardest. She is still struggling with her husband's death and I could see the disappointment in her eyes when Zero introduced me as his fiancé. I got the impression that she thought she would be his someday. While Zero was in the backyard playing with her son, Michael, and AJ, I took the opportunity to talk to her.

"You love him don't you?" I could see the look in her eyes when she looked at Zero. It was the same look that I had. I should have been angry or jealous, but I couldn't feel any of that toward her.

"Yes, and I'm so sorry. It's just, growing up it was always Michael, Noah and Me." She wiped a tear off her face. "When Michael and Noah joined the Army and left me here, I about died. I hated it, but when I found out I was pregnant and Michael and I got married; I just knew that I would be happy." She stopped talking and I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. I knew this had to be hard for her.

"When I got the word that Michael had died, I think my heart died that day too. The only reason I'm still alive today is because of that kid out there. If I didn't have him, then there would be no reason for me to live." I stayed quiet hoping she would keep talking. It seemed like she needed to get all of this out.

"After Noah was discharged he came to see me. I begged him not to leave me too, but he said he had a job in Trenton. He never loved me like I did him, and that's okay. I was holding on to some stupid dream of a happy ending for us, but it's never going to happen." She wiped a few more tears away.

"I'm sorry for loving your fiancé, Stephanie. We've talked throughout the years and he's told me all about you. I knew when he started telling me stories about you that I had lost him. I knew that you two would end up together one day. He's a good man and he loves you." She turned to me and took my hands in hers.

"You don't have to apologize, Shelly. I can understand why you love him. He's an amazing man and an amazing father. I am a very lucky woman." She nodded and I pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry that your dream is ending, but maybe this will be good for you. Find someone to love that will love you back the same way." I felt her sob and held her as she cried. I did my best to comfort her, but I really had no clue what else to say.

Zero came into the house a few minutes later with a crying AJ. I guess it was dinner time for him.

"Someone's hungry for a boob." Zero stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Shelly and I embracing. I pulled away and took my son to the living room to feed him. I gave Zero and Shelly some privacy to talk. I trusted him.

Whatever he said to her during their conversation worked, because they came into the living room laughing about thirty minutes later.

"I'm sorry for my break down, Steph. Can I hold AJ before you guys leave?" I waved my hand in dismissal of her apology and handed the sleeping baby to her. She smiled and winked at me and I knew she was going to be fine.

We left with promises to keep in touch and I hoped that she and I could become close friends. She needed people in her life and I wanted to be there for her.

AJ slept the entire way to the house and Zero and I were silent. Both in our own thoughts. When Zero parked the SUV in the driveway he didn't turn the car off right away so I didn't make a move to get out. I could tell he needed to say something.

"Thank you for what you said to Shelly." He didn't look at me and I could see the worry on his face.

"I didn't really say that much to her. I didn't know how to comfort her." He glanced at me and then turned away.

"When Michael died, it just about killed both of us. She didn't tell you the whole story of when I went to see her after I got discharged." He looked down ashamed and I knew that I wasn't going to like this story.

"I think I led her on during that visit. I let the grief we were both feeling overwhelm us and we found comfort in each other. I used her for a night of release and she took it to mean more than it was." His head was hanging in shame. You could feel the regret and disgust pouring off him.

"I tried to explain it to her before I left and I had no idea that she's held on to the hope of us being together for so long. I never meant to hurt her." I touched his arm and he raised his eyes up to me.

"She understands now and that's all that matters. She'll be able to move on and find someone." He looked away from me and I had to ask the question that was nagging at me.

"Did you ever love her?" Zero's eyes snapped to mine and they got wide. He was quiet for several minutes.

"When I was younger, I thought I did. She always chose Michael, so she was never an option for me. What I thought was love doesn't even compare to how I feel for you, Stephanie. Please believe that." He honestly thought I would be upset with him. I stroked my hand down his worried face.

"Thank you for being honest, but I'm not mad. It would be hypocritical for me to be upset by that admission. Just last year, I thought I loved two totally different men. There is no judgment from me on this subject. I know you love me and you know that I love you. That's all that matters." His features softened and he smiled that damn crooked smile that made my panties go from dry to ruined in 2.5 seconds.

"You are an amazing woman, Stephanie Plum and I can't wait to make you my wife." He leaned over and gently kissed my lips. I let myself get lost in the kiss and felt his tongue trace around my lips. I moaned and opened my mouth for him to explore and threaded my fingers through his short hair.

His hands ran down my arms and around my back, pulling me closer to him. The heat in the car was raising quickly and I knew I needed to put a stop to it, but it felt so damn good.

Zero pulled me across the console and I straddled his lap in the driver's seat. His hands were massaging my ass through my jeans and causing me to grind myself against his growing erection. His kisses continued down my face and throat and in a second my shirt was ripped off me. His tongue traced the swell of my swollen breasts above my bra.

I was so lost in the sensations that I almost didn't hear AJ crying in the backseat. His little cries broke us out of our lust filled haze and we hesitantly pulled away from each other. Both breathing heavy.

"We better get the little guy inside." I whispered huskily.

"Okay." That was all Zero said as he slipped my shirt back over my head and sat me back into the passenger seat. I watched him not so discreetly adjust himself with a deep sigh. I couldn't suppress my giggle.

"Just about two and a half more weeks, baby. Then we can play." Zero looked at me pained and nodded. I might need to take care of my man tonight. It's not fair to leave him so uncomfortable.

After we ate a late dinner and got AJ fed and settled down, I used that time to do just what I said I would. I took care of my man. He didn't even have time to object before he was spilling his hot cum down my throat.

I left him surprised and spent on the couch as I rushed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. If Zero kept up his promise, he would take care of feeding AJ in the middle of the night. After what I just did for him, I think I could get him to do just about anything for me.

I was just getting comfortable in bed when he entered the bedroom and dropped a heated kiss on my lips.

"Paybacks are a bitch, Breá. When the restrictions are lifted, you need to watch out." I laughed at his back going into the bathroom. I was looking forward to paybacks. They may be a bitch, but I'm going to enjoy every second of them.

Zero joined me in bed and we snuggled together under the covers. I curled my body into his side and rested my head on his shoulder and my hand over his heart. His hand lazily stroked up and down my spine. I heard a long sigh escape his lips and knew that something was bothering him.

"Deep thoughts? Care to share them?" I whispered into the silent night. His hand stilled briefly and then started its path up my back again.

"I was just thinking about Shelly." It was my turn to still. Laying in bed with your fiancé wasn't the time to bring up old lovers. Zero caught my unease. He squeezed me tighter and kissed the top of my head.

"Don't worry, my love. Shelly said something to me earlier that got me thinking."

"What did she say?" Whatever it was had Zero thinking awfully hard. He was silent for several minutes and then spoke again.

"She told me that she knew that I loved you years ago just from hearing me talk about you. My mom and dad said similar things so I was just thinking how transparent I must have been." I tried to hide a giggle, but think I failed.

"I wonder if the guys caught on too and if they did, why didn't any of them say something to me? I wonder if Ranger saw and knew." He sounded worried, but it's not like any of this mattered. If they didn't know back then, they certainly did now.

"Why does it matter? I know that you love me now and that's all I care about." Zero was quiet again for a bit. I was almost asleep when his voice startled me awake.

"If they all could see it, why couldn't you? Did you even notice me or were you too wrapped up in Ranger and Joe?" I could hear the animosity as he said the two names. Where was that shit coming from. I propped myself up on my elbow so that I could look into his eyes.

"I didn't truly see you until Valentine's Day. I was stupid and only focused on men who couldn't give me what I wanted or deserved. You know how much Joe and Ranger mean to me and you know my history with each of them. I won't apologize for how I feel about them, but I will say that I'm sorry for not noticing you before." I smiled but Zero just stared straight ahead into the dark room.

"Do you love them more than you do me?" I could hear the pain in his voice. I didn't know what else I had to do or say to prove to him that he was the one that I chose.

"What you and I have together is so far beyond anything that I felt for them. **You **are the only one for me. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that but we can't go back and change the past. Not that I would because everything worked out perfectly. We have AJ and we have each other." He still didn't look at me, but his eyes closed as I spoke to him. I could tell that he was digesting what I said at least.

"Let's go to sleep and we can talk about this another time, okay? I'm exhausted and you look beat too." I reached up and kissed his rough cheek before settling back into his embrace.

He didn't say anything else that night and I eventually heard him fall asleep. Sleep for me didn't come so easily. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what I did to make him doubt my feelings for him. I had no clue where the thoughts were coming from but it was something that we needed to tackle soon. Having your fiancé doubt your love for him wasn't the best feeling.

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A/N - Just a few more chapters to go! Zero's insecurities are starting to show. Who do you think is going to set him straight?


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine.

Thank you all for your reviews. I love to hear what you readers think about my chapters. Even though this story is fully written, they still encourage me to post quickly.

No beta so please ignore my mistakes.

Warning for a little bit of smut.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 18**

Sleep did not come quickly for me. I laid awake for what seemed like hours thinking about the questions Zero asked. I had no idea where his insecurities came from and I didn't know what to do to make them better. I woke up the next morning wrapped in Zero's arms. His chest was pressed firmly into my back and he was snuggled up tightly behind me. I could feel his warm breath blowing on the back of my neck. I sighed and rolled out of bed to take care of my business before AJ woke up. I wanted to let Zero sleep in a little since he's been up in the middle of the night for the past couple days.

I finished my duties and walked quietly to the nursery to see my son. AJ was awake and looking around at the things in his crib. It amazed me how observant and aware of his surroundings he was even as an infant. The minute I walked up to his crib, he looked at me and smiled. I picked him up and got him changed and sat comfortably in the rocking chair to nurse him.

That day was Thanksgiving dinner at Zero's brother's. We had to leave soon because Zero wanted to have time to visit with him before the dinner. He didn't get to see his brother often and I could tell that he missed him.

After AJ was done eating, I got him dressed and ready to go before I slipped quietly into the bathroom. Zero was still sleeping and I wanted to let him rest as long as possible.

I took a long shower and got myself totally clean. I dressed in a gorgeous wrap dress that I had bought when I was pregnant. Since it was wrap around, I was able to just tighten it when I lost my stomach. It was the same color as my eyes and looked amazing on me. I got my hair and make-up fixed and realized that I needed to wake up my fiancé. That's so weird to think about, but I liked the sound of it. I walked to the bed and bent to kiss him on his lips. He didn't move so I decided on another tactic. He began to stir when my tongue traced down his jaw and his eyes popped open when I sucked on his pulse point.

"Good morning sexy. You need to get up and get ready or else we'll be late." I guess he hadn't planned on sleeping late because he was immediately awake and out of bed.

"Shit Steph, why didn't you wake me sooner. I wanted to leave early." His voice was hard and angry. I tried to count to ten so I wouldn't snap at him, but I'm not sure it worked.

"You were exhausted and needed to sleep. We still have plenty of time. AJ and I are ready to go." He looked at me for the first time and his face softened slightly.

"I'm sorry, Steph. I don't want to argue today. I'm going to hop in the shower and I'll be ready soon." He kissed me quickly and made his escape into the bathroom. I had a feeling he was going to need some extra time in there so I left the bedroom to finish packing AJ's diaper bag.

Exactly ten minutes later, Zero strode out of the bedroom dressed in black dress pants and a button up shirt that matched my dress perfectly. He looked good enough to eat and I might have moaned and licked my lips, but since he didn't notice it doesn't count.

"Ready to go?" I nodded and picked up AJ's car seat and handed it to Zero while I picked up the diaper bag.

The drive to Oregon only took about 2 hours, which we made in silence. I could tell Zero was thinking about things and would talk when he was ready. I didn't want to push him and piss him off more. It was a beautiful drive so I stared out the window at the passing beauty. We pulled into a massive house and parked in the circle drive in front of the huge front door.

"What does your brother do for a living? This house is huge." I looked around awestruck at my surroundings. Zero chuckled.

"What's your favorite football team?" Zero looked at me with a glint in his eyes.

"New York Jets, of course. Why?" I was curious now because his smile grew.

"My brother's the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49'rs." He laughed when my eyes bugged out at him.

"No shit?" That's all I could come up with to say at that moment in time. To say I was shocked would have been an understatement.

"No shit. He's got a game on Thanksgiving day, that's why we're having dinner early." Zero chuckled and shook his head at my reaction. I couldn't help it. I had never met a pro-athlete before.

Zero hopped out of the SUV and quickly grabbed AJ out of the backseat. I met him around the SUV and we walked toward the front door together. Now, I was nervous. Zero didn't bother knocking, he just opened the door and walked in. I could hear the TV on in a room and kitchen noises from another area.

"Wait here." Zero placed the car seat on the floor beside me and snuck into the what I assumed was the living room. I couldn't see what was going on, but after a few seconds I heard yelling, the sounds of wrestling, and then laughing. Zero walked out a few minutes later with I swear his twin behind him. His brother was younger and had a smaller build, but the face was the same and so were the eyes.

"Stephanie, this is my brother Luke. Luke, this is the love of my life and my fiancé, Stephanie Plum." Luke's eyes got big and then he smiled that same damn crooked grin that his brother has. Panties ruined and there was nothing I could do about it.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet the famous Stephanie Plum." Luke pulled me into a hug and noticed the car seat beside me. Zero noticed his realization too.

"That is your nephew AJ or Allen Jacob." Luke squatted down and moved the blanket off AJ's face.

"No shit? You a dad?" Luke hugged Zero again and motioned us into the living room.

We all got comfortable on the couches with AJ resting in Luke's arms and Zero's arms wrapped around me. We were in the middle of telling Luke about how we came together when a gorgeous woman entered the room holding a baby about three months older than AJ.

"Noah! It's so good to see you again." Zero stood up and hugged her and took the baby from her arms. He sat back down and ignored introducing me to her. He was too wrapped up with his niece.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Luke's wife, Harmony and that bundle in Noah's arms is Katie." I stood and shook her hand.

"I'm Stephanie, Noah's fiancé. And the bundle in Luke's arms is our son AJ." Her eyes got wide and she sat beside her husband.

"You're THE Stephanie?" Harmony asked and Noah rolled his eyes. I giggled and nodded while looking at the man beside me.

"Okay, start over from the beginning. I think I missed something." Harmony giggled and took AJ from her husband.

We started our story over and by the time we were done, both babies were wide awake and ready for food. Harmony showed me to a private room to feed AJ and she got Katie's bottle ready. Zero got to feed her, while I took care of our son.

I was just about done feeding when Harmony came in to see if I needed anything.

"God, he's a gorgeous kid. You guys did good." She chuckled as she watched him eat.

"Thanks. Katie is beautiful. You guys are going to be in trouble when she's older." Harmony rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Don't I know it! So how was your delivery?" I should feel weird talking about this with her, but she was so easy to talk to that information just poured out of me easily.

"Delivery went fine. No problems. The hardest part is the no sex for six weeks." She laughed out loud and nodded.

"Oh, I know. Luke and I found ways to make getting release fun and exciting." I thought she was just talking about her husband.

"I've helped Noah a couple of times, but I can't wait until I can finally get some assistance; if you know what I mean." I laughed and burped AJ.

"You don't have to wait honey. As long as there is no penetration, you are good to go. Luke became a master at helping me find release without causing pain or discomfort." I must have looked shocked because she laughed and shook her head.

"Oh honey. Trust me. Let Noah touch you and stimulate your clit. Don't go around the hole, but you don't need to. It will help, trust me." I smiled and got a wicked gleam in my eye. Maybe my release would come sooner than later.

"I didn't know I could do that, Thanks." I stood and followed Harmony out of the room. We found the guys in the living room with both sets of parents. I passed AJ off to Allen and sat on the couch beside Melody.

Dinner was amazing. It was great for all of us to be together. The guys talked about sports (football of course) and the women talked about babies and how silly our husbands are. I got to meet Noah's two half-sisters, Hillary and Ashley. They were twins and still in high-school and from the sounds of it, they are both going to be amazing tennis players one day. Watch out Venus and Serena!

After the dinner was over and everyone was packing up to head to their respected homes, Mary and Melody pulled me aside into the downstairs den.

"We have a present for you. We're not going to be able to be there for your wedding shower, but we wanted you to have these." They handed me a small box and I opened it. Inside was a beautiful strand of gorgeous grey pearls. The intricacy of the necklace between each pearl took my breath away.

"Those belonged to Noah's great-great-grandmother. Her husband, Allen Mason, bought them for her for an anniversary present. She gave them to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law who married her son Allen Charles. You see, every generation has an Allen and those pearls are given to the bride to be that he chooses to marry." I was stunned. The pearls were perfect and I was honored that they gave them to me.

"Both of us have worn them at our weddings to Allen Lucas, and we felt you deserve to wear them next." Melody smiled and hugged me then Mary wrapped her arms around both of us and I couldn't help the tears that fell out.

"Thank you both so much. It would be an honor to wear them." I wiped the tears from my eyes and watched the other women do the same.

"Now, when Allen Jacob picks his bride you must pass the pearls down to her." I didn't want to even think about that day, but I nodded. I would honor this tradition and pass them down to his bride when the time came.

Zero found us in the den and smiled when he saw the pearls. He kissed both women before gathering me into his strong arms.

"You ready to go, Breá?" I nodded and hugged everyone again before we left. It was a sad goodbye, but I knew we would see them all again for the wedding.

I fell in love with Noah's family that day. They readily accepted me into their family and I was honored to become a part of it. I was looking forward to becoming a Wilson and hoped that I made them proud.

I fell asleep on the drive back to the house. Zero didn't seem to mind, he was always in his zone when he drove anyway. He shook me awake when we pulled into the driveway and I pulled myself out of the SUV and into the house.

"Why don't you get ready for bed and I'll get AJ changed. You can feed him and then go to sleep." Zero kissed me and walked off toward the nursery.

Harmony's words from earlier came back to me and suddenly I wasn't so tired. I cleaned myself up and positioned myself in bed. I was just wearing a pair of panties. T-shirts made it difficult to feed AJ so I didn't bother.

Zero brought me the hungry baby and I positioned him comfortably to eat. Zero took the opportunity to get ready for bed and came out of the bathroom in only a pair of boxers. God he was a gorgeous man. I felt myself getting hot and I knew I needed his help that night.

After AJ was done eating, Zero took him and placed him in the nursery. I heard him through the baby monitor singing an Irish lullaby and even though I couldn't understand the words, the emotion in his voice brought tears to my eyes.

I was still sitting up in bed when Zero came back into the room.

"I thought you'd already be asleep." He looked at me shocked.

"Nope. I found out something interesting from your sister-in-law tonight." He grimaced and shook his head.

"I swear, whatever she told you wasn't my fault. Luke always tried to blame me for the stupid things he did." I laughed.

"No silly. She told me that my doctor wasn't being fully honest with me." He looked at me confused.

"It seems that I am allowed to climax as long as there is no penetration." His eyes turned dark and he started to crawl up the bed towards me.

"I guess that means I get to play a little tonight?" His voice was deep and just the vibrations against my body almost made me cum.

"Guess so...or if you don't want to, I can take matters in my own hands." I heard him growl and he immediately latched his lips onto mine. The kiss was hungry and demanding. His tongue was greedily tasting every inch of my mouth. I moaned into his mouth and pressed my body into his. I needed this so bad. It's been too damn long.

Zero pulled his mouth away from mine and started kissing down my jaw and neck. He kissed and licked all over my collar-bone and then down to my breasts. He stopped before he got to a nipple.

"Is this okay?" God I didn't care if he didn't. I just wanted to cum. I couldn't speak so all I did was nod frantically.

He laughed and licked around my swollen nipple. His gentle tongue drove me crazy. I was humming with need and he hadn't even touched below my waist. His hand moved lower and hovered right over my sensitive mound. I knew it wasn't going to take much.

"Please touch me Noah." I moaned as his tongue trailed down my stomach and stopped at the top of my panties.

"No penetration, right? I can do whatever to your clit?" I nodded again and I guess he understood because he slowly pulled my panties down and discarded them.

I was moaning and writhing. I needed to cum bad and he was torturing me. He kissed the outer lips around my clit and then flicked it once with his tongue. That sensation almost sent me shooting through the roof. I heard him chuckle and I growled - so not nice.

"Paybacks, my love." Oh god! He was trying to kill me.

He slowly started circling his finger around my swollen nub. Not getting close enough to touch it, but enough to make me crazy. Every once in a while, he would flick it with his tongue. He wasn't giving me what I wanted and I was getting frantic. I moved my hands down to do it myself and he pushed them away.

"I don't think so. This is my job." He pushed my hands underneath my ass with a silent command that they were to stay there. I moaned when his finger went back to tracing circles.

"Please, my love. Let me cum. It's been so damn long and I need this." I didn't care if I was begging. I was desperate!

"How long has it been?" He had no idea.

"My last orgasm was the last time we were together." He stopped his ministrations and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Why didn't you help yourself when you were away?" He sounded amazed or maybe it was astonished.

"Tried, but I guess you ruined me for all other men AND for myself." I sighed. It was the truth. Even my shower massager in Greenville failed. I chalked it up to being pregnant, but I was worried that maybe he really did ruin me.

"Oh baby! Let me help you then." He growled and started seriously working my clit. His finger circling kept getting closer to the nub and the pressure he was using increased . The flicks of his tongue turned to little sucks and I was so close that it was almost painful.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God." That was the extent of my sentences. The burning in my stomach was unbearable and the pressure building was just about to blow.

Zero noticed my closeness and whispered "Fly my love," right before he bit down on my clit sending me over the edge in the most intense orgasm ever.

White lights burst from behind my eyes and I screamed his name as I came. I wanted him inside me so bad, but I knew I couldn't have that. Zero stroked my clit lovingly as I came down from my climax. My breathing was shallow and my heartbeat was erratic, but I didn't care. I felt amazing.

Zero kissed my mound one last time before helping me put the panties back on and crawling up to where I was laying. He lovingly kissed my lips and settled me into his arms. I wanted to return the favor, but his actions told me that he didn't expect it nor did he want it.

"Sleep!" He kissed my sweaty head and I fell into a deep sleep. I don't think I had ever slept that soundly.

The next morning dawned early and we had to get up to head back to Trenton. As happy as I was to go home, I was going to miss Zero's family in California. Both of his parents treated me like one of their own and they both made me promise that we would come back to visit often.

After the morning routines were finished, we packed up all of our stuff and drove back to the airport. Once we were seated on the private plane and ready to take off, I let out a deep sigh. Zero could tell something was bothering me, but chose to let me keep silent in my thoughts. For once, I was grateful of the zone that we both found ourselves in.

I knew that I would need to talk to Zero about his insecurities, but I just didn't know how to start. I can tell him every day that I love him, but if he doesn't believe it...what else could I do? How do you convince someone who you love them? I thought about that problem the entire way to Trenton.

When the plane landed at the private airstrip outside Trenton, Zero unbuckled AJ's seat and I gathered our stuff from around the cabin. I wasn't expecting the welcome home party waiting for us, but when we stepped off the plane we were swarmed by most of RangeMan and Joe.

Seeing Ranger and Joe standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me brought tears to my eyes. I missed all of my guys. I noticed Zero stiffen when Joe pulled me into his arms and then he about punched him when Joe dropped a kiss on my lips. It was Ranger who stopped Zero from approaching us. I guess we would need to have that conversation sooner than later.

Joe let me go and I stepped into Ranger's embrace.

"Welcome back Babe." Ranger whispered in my ear and kissed me on the side of the head. Zero didn't look any more comfortable with my closeness to Ranger than he did with Joe.

He was pretending to have a conversation with Les, but his eyes tracked my process through all of the guys. I was hugged and kissed by most of the men there. Once everyone had welcomed me home properly, Zero and I loaded in the SUV with AJ and our luggage and headed toward my apartment.

Zero was silent and I could tell he was quietly fuming. His jaw was tense and the knuckles on both of his hands were white. His grip on the steering wheel was likely to break it if he didn't relax.

"You going to tell me why you're so upset?" I tried to sound un-confrontational, but I think I missed my mark because Zero tensed more at my question.

"I would think it was quite clear why I'm so upset." His tone made it clear that he wasn't ready to talk about this so I just sighed and let it go for the moment.

Zero parked in my parking lot and immediately jumped out. He quickly grabbed my bags from the back of the SUV and the diaper bag. I got AJ out and met Zero at the elevator. We rode up silently and I waited in the hall as he checked out my apartment. Pointless, because I have RangeMan security but I wasn't going to piss him off anymore than he already was. He stepped out a few moments later with a hard look on his face.

"It's clear. I might see you tomorrow. I've got some things to do at the office tonight and I need to get in some gym time." He turned and walked away from me without a kiss or even a hug. I stood there dumbstruck. What the hell just happened?

"Noah!" I yelled at his retreating back. He turned and looked at me. "Talk to me. Don't walk away like this." He stared at me for a minute and then slowly walked back to where I was standing at my open door.

"I can't, right now Steph. I can't talk to you because I can't look at you without seeing another man's lips on yours." He stood just out of my reach. He glanced down at our sleeping son and a flash of something crossed his face. He looked at me again and walked away. I watched him walk down the long hallway and then turn to head down the stairs. He didn't look back to us once. Tears fell from my eyes as I walked into my apartment and closed the door.

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A/N - Well...Zero just messed up big time. The next chapter is Zero's reality check! Who do you think gets to deliver it? Hopefully you'll find out tomorrow.

I have no idea who the quarterback for the 49's is, but I know it's not who I wrote. I'm using a creative license here. : )


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **Characters aren't mine and I'm making no money.

Thank you all for the reviews! I'm glad that you all agree that Zero is in need of an attitude adjustment and that it exactly what he gets in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

No beta so please excuse my mistakes.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 19**

ZPOV

It had always been my dream for Stephanie to meet my family. They had all heard everything about her for years and they all knew that I loved her. I never thought they would get the opportunity to actually meet her. I never thought I would have her in my life. Not only do we have a son together, she loves me and wants to be with me. She was mine. She agreed to marry me...before I even asked. I love her more than my own life. Spending a week with Stephanie and AJ in California was beyond amazing. I didn't know I could love two people so completely like I did them. They quickly became my whole world and I had no idea what I'd do if I lost either of them. I'm not sure I could survive that.

So why did I fuck everything up? I walked away from her, again. I shut off my emotions and left her standing in the hallway with our son. Why did I do that? How stupid could I fucking be? The conversation that I had with Ranger right after I got back from mission came flooding into my mind. We came to some understandings that night and unfortunately I ignored my part of the bargain.

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***Flashback***

"Did you two make nice?" Ranger didn't look up from his paperwork as I entered his office. I had just left Stephanie and my son at her new apartment. I wanted to stay the night with her, but I also wanted to take this relationship slow.

"We did and I think we're going to be good. She surprised the shit out of me with AJ." Ranger looked up at me and smiled.

"He's a great kid and she's a great woman, don't fuck it up." His smile faded. "I'm serious. You treat her right and we have no problems. If you hurt her...then you're going to know what pain is." I glared at him. I could see the emotions skim across his face. I could see that he loved her.

"I have no intention of hurting her. I love her and she loves me." He nodded and focused back on his paperwork. I stood to leave and then decided that I needed to say one last thing.

"I won't tolerate your poaching. She belongs to me and I want you to respect that." Ranger looked up at me and glared.

"I won't remove myself from her life. She means too much to me to walk away. I won't kiss her anymore, but I have every intention of being around her. I love her just as much as you do and AJ is my Godson. If you can't handle this, then we have a problem." Ranger's eyes were hard as he stared at me. I knew that I couldn't make him leave her alone and she would be pissed if I even asked that. Their relationship was just something that I had to understand and be okay with.

"I'm not asking you to stay away from her. I'm just asking you to keep your hands and lips to yourself. I remember seeing you two in the ally when she was with Morelli. I'm not as stupid as him and I will not tolerate your shit." Ranger simply nodded and returned to his paperwork. He silently dismissed me. I turned to walk out of his office and was almost through the door when his voice stopped me.

"Zero...treat her good. That's what she deserves." I looked at the man behind the desk and saw the regrets in his eyes. I nodded and walked out the door.

***End Flashback***

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Fuck! I didn't treat her good at all. I acted like a fucking pussy. A stupid piece of shit, but I wasn't stupid. I was just a macho asshole. It surprised me to see all the guys waiting for us when we got off the plane. I wasn't expecting that. They weren't there to see me, they all missed Stephanie, which I could understand. She was the heart and soul of RangeMan and they all loved her. I got it and I wasn't mad about it.

What sent me into a blind rage was seeing her ex-fucking-boyfriend hug her like she still belonged to him. Then he had the nerve to kiss her...ON THE FUCKING LIPS. Those lips belonged to me. He lost the right to kiss her there, yet there he was, kissing my lips. I wanted to rearrange his face, and was just about to when Ranger stopped me. His look told me to let it go, but fuck that. He might be able to stand back and watch her kiss Morelli, but I couldn't.

And as if that wasn't bad enough...then I had to watch Steph go to Ranger and melt into **his** arms. I knew the chemistry they had and I knew that he loved her just as much as I did. I knew that he was the one person that could take her away from me. He whispered in her ear and I saw a familiar look on her face. She still fucking loved him.

I watched her as she hugged and kissed every man standing by that plane. Seeing that didn't bother me so much. Just her interaction with Morelli and Ranger. Steph and I would need to have a serious talk about boundaries with those two, but first I needed to calm down. That was not the time to confront her or them. Someone would end up hurt.

I felt bad when I snapped at her in the SUV, but it was too damn soon to have that conversation. I needed to take out some frustrations on the punching bag in the gym.

I saw the hurt on her face when I gave her a lame excuse and walked away from her. She was my fiancé and I didn't even kiss her goodbye. What an idiot. I was just so angry. Seeing that hurt on her face, and knowing I put it there just made me even more irate.

I drove to the office and parked the SUV in my normal spot. I carried my bags to my apartment and then changed into gym clothes. I honestly hoped no one else was in the gym because I didn't want to be disturbed while I worked out my frustrations. I knew the guys watched me on the monitors as I made my way to the gym, but I didn't give two shits. I stretched to warm up my muscles and then immediately went to the punching bag and got lost in my anger and rage.

I don't know how long I beat the fuck out of that bag before Ranger and Bobby stepped into the gym. I could see them trying to talk to me, but I refused to listen or stop. I hadn't beat all the anger out yet. I was still pissed beyond words.

I noticed Ranger pull out his cell phone and make a call. He talked to whoever he called for a few minutes and then turned back around to me. The look on his face was enough to cause me to falter in my punches. He was beyond pissed so I assumed the person he called was Stephanie. He knew what happened and he wasn't happy about it.

"Zero, get your fucking ass on the mats NOW!" Yep, he was pissed. Good, maybe I could work some of my anger off on him. After all, he was part of the problem. I stopped punching the bag and walked to the mats on the other side of the gym. Les and Tank stepped into the gym and stood beside the mat with Bobby.

"Want to tell me what's going on, Boss?" Tank was curious about why I was mad and why I was about to get the shit beat out of me.

"Dumb-fuck here got his panties in a bunch and instead of talking to his **fiancé** about it, he left her standing in her hallway with a newborn baby. I just talked to Steph and she's a crying mess. She's already emotional because of the baby, and he goes and does something so fucking stupid and makes her even more emotional. Our standing rule at RangeMan is you don't hurt Stephanie Plum. Dumb-fuck broke that rule." Fuck! I'm going to get my ass beat by four angry men.

"You really do that shit?" Tank looked at me with murder in his eyes. I was pissed and decided to let it all come out.

"Do you know what it's like to see the woman you love in the arms of another man?" The minute that question left my mouth, I regretted it. It was a stupid question and Ranger actually laughed; out loud...and for a long time.

"You dumb piece of shit. Every one of those men tonight love your fiancé and would do AND have done ANYTHING she's asked of them. Yet at the end of the night, she chose YOU. She might love each of us, in her own way, and she'll always love Joe and Ranger, but she agreed to marry you. She has YOUR son. She CHOSE you, you stupid piece of shit." Les was pissed and didn't hide his anger. "I swear to god, if you fuck this up and hurt her more...I will kill you and not one guy here will stop me."

I knew that was true. It didn't make me any less angry though. I knew she chose me but why can't they keep their hands and lips off of her?

"Do you know who took care of her while you were gone?" Ranger was calmer now, but I could still see the anger under the surface. I shook my head. Steph told me a little about where she stayed and the friends she met, but I didn't know who helped her.

"Joe was the one to get her out-of-town when she needed it. He found the house and helped her get settled. She didn't trust anyone from RangeMan, but she needed someone so she asked him." I wondered why she didn't in with him. That would have been the perfect opportunity for him to get her back.

"She and Joe are friends. Have been for years and they ended their romantic relationship because they didn't want to hurt their friendship. Joe is engaged to another woman and she's pregnant. I might not have liked the fucker before, but he's proved himself to be a good friend to Steph and I will not let you belittle that friendship." Ranger's words hurt. I didn't know about Joe's new relationship. I just knew that no matter how much Ranger did, she always went back to the cop and I was scared that it would happen again.

"Fuck!" That was all I could say. My anger at them was subsiding, but the anger toward my stupidity was growing.

"Did Steph tell you what happened to her in Greenville? About the robbery and the guy who saved her and your son?" I nodded. I would forever be thankful for CJ. I knew that's where the Jacob in AJ's name came from.

"Did she tell you what happened after?" I shook my head again. Ranger sighed and dropped his head. He looked uncomfortable.

I heard the gym door open and Joe stepped in, FUCK. Who the hell called him?

"I called Joe because he might want to show you what happens when you hurt our Bombshell." Bobby spoke from behind me. I glared at him, but he just laughed and shrugged.

"What did the dumb fuck do?" Joe asked Ranger.

"Got jealous of you and I guess, me. Hell, maybe he's jealous of all the guys too. He thinks he's the only man alive who loves Stephanie." Joe laughed and I heard 'dumb piece of shit' mumbled under his breath.

"So what the fuck happened after the robbery?" I was getting impatient. Joe's eyebrow raised and he looked at Ranger.

"He doesn't know?" Ranger shook his head. "Can I enlighten him?" Ranger nodded and Joe stepped up in front of me.

"When your boss found out where Steph was living, he began monitoring the police bands. He heard about the robbery and realized that Steph was involved. He flew there so he could be there for her. She had a traumatic experience and needed someone familiar. He went to be with her. He stayed with her. He was there for her when you were off in another country." I was pissed now. I would have been there had I known.

"I DIDN'T FUCKING KNOW WHERE SHE WAS. I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS PREGNANT." I yelled and about punched the fucking cop in the face, but held back. I wasn't mad at him anymore. I was mad at myself.

"Doesn't matter. He was there and you weren't. He was there for the delivery of **your** son. He stayed with her at the hospital and then helped her that first week at home. He found her the apartment here so she could move back. He paid for everything. I took care of the furniture and decorating the nursery, but he paid for it all. He drove her and your son across the country so that she would be here waiting for your stupid ass." Joe looked disgusted and turned away from me.

"After everything we both did for her, and she still chose you." Ranger's words were deathly calm. This was scary Ranger. The Ranger I never wanted to meet.

"I asked her as I watched her nurse **your** son, if she ever wished that he was mine and that we were together." Ranger paused trying to control the beast that was ready to pound my face.

"Hey, I asked her the same thing." Joe laughed. "What did she tell you?"

"She told me, no. As much as she loves me and I her, she wouldn't have been happy with me. She is right where she belongs and she picked the right man." Joe nodded.

"She told me the same thing." I was shocked. She honestly picked me over those two? She loved them for years and me only a few months so why did she pick me?

"You see. Something you don't know about Stephanie Plum is when she falls **in** love, it's completely. She never loved me or Ranger that way. She saved that for you and you just broke her heart." Joe stepped in front of me again.

"I called her on the way over here and she honestly thinks that you left her. She thinks SHE pushed YOU away. She's blaming herself and is worried sick that you don't love her anymore and that she'll be alone for the rest of her life." I was beyond sick. I didn't leave her...well, I walked away. I guess she could interpret that as leaving.

"I told her that if you fucked up and threw her away that she would never be alone. There is a whole building full of guys that would love to be in your shoes, but that wouldn't make her happy. You do. So man the fuck up and fix this." Joe stepped away and ran his hand through his hair.

"You don't deserve her, but she loves you and as much as it kills me to admit...you're the one that she wants. So are you going to continue being a pussy or are you going to do what Joe suggested and MAN THE FUCK UP?" I didn't even see Ranger's fist before it smashed me in the face. I felt my nose crunch and then the stars burst from behind my eyes. I guess the talking time was over.

Ranger and Joe spent the next god knows how long teaching me a lesson that I won't soon forget. By the time they were done, I was beyond exhausted. I didn't even fight back, I let them beat my ass because I felt like shit for how I treated Stephanie. I hurt her and I swore that I would never do that. I promised her that I would always take care of her and treat her like she deserves, but I didn't do that. I treated her like shit and I deserved the beating I got. When they were done, Ranger and Joe looked down at me on the mat.

"Get this asshole put back together so he can hopefully fix this shit. If he can't fix it then arrange his funeral." Ranger and Joe stepped off the mat and left me laying there bruised and battered.

"Steph and AJ are in my apartment. Bring him up there when you get him cleaned up." Ranger tossed over his shoulder as he and Joe walked out side by side. I never thought I would see the day that they were friends, but it looks that way now. Maybe not friends, but allies firmly in Stephanie's corner. They would do anything for her and they proved that. I felt like a complete idiot.

"Bet you feel pretty stupid now, don't you?" Les helped me stand and laughed.

"You have no idea." I shook my head which made it throb.

"Let's get you to the infirmary so we can take care of your boo-boo's. Beautiful is going to be pissed that you look like this." Bobby and Tank laughed at Les' phrasing, but they helped me limp to the elevator and up to Bobby's medical suite.

I don't remember what all they said was injured on me. I know my nose was broken and I had a few bruised ribs. I think that was the worst of the injuries aside from my face being one continuous bruise. My hands were torn up from my time on the bag, but that was my fault.

I spent about 2 hours in the infirmary and then spent about thirty minutes in my apartment cleaning up. I got all the blood off me and changed into some normal clothes. I wasn't working today. I actually had another couple of days off. Maybe I needed to spend it with my family.

I texted Ranger and told him that I was ready to see Steph. I couldn't access the seventh floor without someone on the core team unlocking the elevator. Tank showed up and escorted me to the penthouse apartment where my fiancé and son were waiting. Tank didn't bother knocking, he opened the door and walked with me into the large living room. Swanky place!

I didn't see Steph or AJ, but standing in the living room were two very pissed off men. Ranger and Joe stood side by side glaring at me. They still didn't trust me. Fucking great.

"Where's Steph?" Ranger nodded toward his office on the opposite side of the room. I turned to head the direction but was stopped by Ranger's words.

"She's feeding AJ. Let her finish and then I'll take care of him so you can talk to her." I nodded and turned back toward the living room. I sat awkwardly in a chair across from Ranger and Joe who were sitting on the couch glaring at me. Tank was hanging out in the kitchen. Smart man.

Several very tense minutes later, Stephanie walked out with a sleeping AJ in her arms. She didn't notice me, but I had a perfect view of her.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks were tear stained, and she walked with a defeated posture. God, what did I do to her? She stopped when she walked into the room, finally noticing me. Her eyes got big and filled with tears. I guess I looked pretty bad.

"Let me take AJ for you, Babe. You and Zero can go back to my office and talk." Ranger took AJ from her arms and then pulled her into a hug. "Remember to listen to him. Don't close up." She nodded and walked toward the office. I followed a few steps behind her.

Once we were both inside and the door was closed, she turned to me with tears streaming down her face. She looked so broken.

"Just do it fast so I can cry in privacy." I didn't understand what she meant.

"Do what fast?" She let out a sob and hung her head.

"End our relationship. Break up with me, whatever you want to do. Here!" She took off the engagement ring and handed it to me. I was shocked.

"Oh god, Stephanie. I'm so sorry." I took her into my arms as she cried. She was beyond broken and it was my stupidity that did it to her.

She cried for several minutes and then pulled away with a questioning look on her beautiful face.

"Breá, I'm so sorry I was such an ass to you. I didn't know all the details and I misunderstood some of the guys actions and I got jealous. I'm so sorry that I hurt you." She furrowed her brows and looked at me.

"Some of the guys or just two? Ranger and Joe and I are friends. They have both helped me through difficult times and I will not cut them out of my life." She knew exactly who I had the problems with.

"Joe helped me when I was so pissed at RangeMan that I couldn't see. He helped me get away from everyone who hurt me, you and Ranger included. I needed that time to find myself again and I did. Ranger helped me when I lost a very close friend and almost lost my life. He was there for AJ's birth and is actually his Godfather. I refuse to let you tell me that I can't be friends with them. They both will always be in my life and if you can't handle that then we have a serious problem." I nodded my head and let out a long sigh. It was time to grovel.

"I don't have a problem with them anymore. When I first saw them with you today, I admit that I got jealous. I didn't know the whole story. I didn't know everything that they had done for you. I just saw two men who I knew you used to or maybe still do love and I thought they could take you away from me." I wiped some tears off her face. She didn't pull away from me so that was a good sign.

"You saw me running to Joe or Ranger just like Shelly used to run to Michael?" I hadn't thought about like that, but yeah. I guess she was right. I nodded and hung my head.

"I'm so sorry that I jumped to conclusions and I didn't trust you. I let my insecurities and fears lead my actions and I hurt you. I'm so sorry, Breá. I love you more than I ever thought possible. I love you with every breath in my body and I won't survive without you." She sighed and looked into my eyes.

"When we met Shelly, I knew that you two shared a past. I saw the love in her eyes for you and it made me jealous too. But instead of jumping to conclusions and walking away from you, I talked to her and then to you. Why couldn't you do that for me? Why did you make me doubt our love, because I did when you left me standing in the hallway? I actually had doubts about how you honestly feel about me and that's wrong. I shouldn't have doubts because I agreed to marry you. I love you, that hasn't changed. But I think maybe you don't love me as much as you claim to." I felt even more like shit. I hated that she doubted my feelings. I hated that I caused her to question me and my feelings.

"I know I caused all of this and I can't even begin to tell you why. I was hurt and angry and I needed to get the anger out before I talked to you. I never want you to see me like that and I couldn't stop it from happening. I had to get away from you before my beast came out to play. I'm so sorry, my love. Please don't question or doubt my feelings. Please don't push me away." I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face. I was begging and I didn't care.

She was silent for several minutes. She didn't touch me or say anything. I could tell she was thinking so I just let her think. God I hope she wasn't thinking about leaving me.

"I think we need some time apart." I snapped my head up to look at her and saw the tears in her eyes. "Wait, let me explain." She squatted down in front of me and wiped the moisture off my face.

"I love you and I think I always will. You just came back from a long mission and then got thrown into this crazy life with me and a son that you didn't even know existed." She kissed my cheek and stroked her thumb over the spot where her lips just left.

"Ranger said that the standard procedure is two weeks off-line after a mission like what you just did. You haven't had that. You haven't had time to relax and decompress. I think you need that. I think you need time to get your mind wrapped around everything that happened." God she was right. Normally after a mission like that, I would fly to Cali and lock myself in my house for two weeks. I relaxed with Stephanie on our trip, but it wasn't the same.

"Wait here." She stood and kissed me on the lips and then left the office. I could hear muffled voices outside but couldn't make out what they were saying. Steph came back into the room several minutes later.

"Ranger has agreed to give you another two weeks off. I want you to go to Cali and stay at the house. Relax. Do whatever you need to do to get back to your normal self." Was she pushing me away? I tried to speak, but she silenced me with a finger to the lips.

"I'll be waiting here for you when you get back. I love you and you're not going to get rid of me so easily. That is if you still want me." She looked unsure for a second. I pulled her into my lap and kissed her. I let every feeling I had for her be told in that kiss. When we pulled back we were both breathless.

"I guess you still want me." She giggled when she found her voice finally. I nodded.

"Will you go away and do what you need to do? AJ and I need you in our lives, but we need you whole." I couldn't speak so I just nodded. A look of relief crossed her beautiful face.

"Thank you." Steph whispered and kissed me gently on the lips. "Ella has your bag ready and Tank has your plane ticket." Wow, she worked fast. "Call me when you get there and any other time you want to. AJ and I will be waiting for you when you get back to us." I saw the tears streaming down her face and again I felt like shit.

"I'm so sorry, Breá. I love you too, baby, and I'll come back to you." She nodded and kissed me again. I knew I needed to do this but I hated to leave her. Maybe this would be good for us. I stood up and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for loving me so much, Stephanie." I whispered into her hair and I felt her sob.

"I had no choice but to love you, but you're welcome." We kissed once more and I left her standing in the office as I walked into the living room.

Ranger stood with AJ when I entered the room. He handed me my son, so I could say goodbye to him.

"I should have realized something, man. I'm sorry for not paying more attention." Ranger actually looked regretful. I waived him off. It wasn't his fault. I should have realized the same thing.

"My fault. Thanks for the extra time off. I'll use it to get my head straight." He nodded and took AJ back when I was done kissing him goodbye.

"Take care of them while I'm gone." That didn't need to be said. Ranger nodded and I followed Tank out of the door. Before I got fully out the door, I heard Steph's beautiful voice.

"Hey, sexy." I stopped and turned around to her smirking at the office door. "When you get back, I'll be off my restrictions so come prepared." She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of admitting that in front of the guys. They all groaned right along with me and I ran back into the penthouse to kiss my woman. I slipped the engagement ring back onto her finger while I kissed her and when we pulled away she looked at it and smiled.

"I love you, Noah."

"I love you too, Stephanie." I kissed her again and walked out of the door. I had a plane to catch and I had two weeks to relax. Knowing what was waiting for me when I came back was going to make that the longest two weeks of my life.

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A/N - So what did you think? Did Zero get a good enough reality check? Let me know if you loved it or hated it.


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **Characters still don't belong to me. I'm only playing with them for a short time.

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! We're down to the last chapter. Tomorrow will be the epilogue. Even though it's almost over, I would still love to read what you think about it.

Smut warning...Zero said that it was way past time. : )

No beta. Mistakes are mine.

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**Lifetime of Love**

**Chapter 20**

SPOV

The two weeks Zero was gone was pure hell. I had never had time come to a crawl like it did for those days. And when I say crawl, I mean slower than molasses on a cold day. Unmoving, slow. Frustrating as hell, slow.

Zero spent the entire two weeks at his house in California. He didn't even tell his parents that he was there. I had no clue what he did all day, nor did I ask. He needed that time to get his head straight and he used it to do just that. We did spend hours talking on the phone every night and I could tell just by the changes in his voice every night that he needed this time apart and he was benefitting from it.

When he walked away from me that day in the hallway, I thought I was losing him forever. I didn't know what had happened, but I thought I fucked something up and he didn't want me or AJ anymore. It broke my heart watching him walk away and all I could do was go into my apartment, close the door before collapsing into sobs.

That day is a blur to me still. Ranger called and asked what happened so I told him what I could. He told me to pack up AJ and come to Haywood. He offered his apartment for me to use because he didn't want me to be alone. I don't remember driving there or anything else really until Ranger and Joe walked in together. They both looked like they could kill someone and I honestly prayed that they hadn't killed Zero.

We all talked about what Zero had told them and then what they had shared with him and I was thankful that they both understood my feelings toward them. I loved them, but not the same way that I loved my fiancé. I would never love them as much as I did him and I couldn't figure out why he didn't believe that. What made him so insecure and crazy all of a sudden? He wasn't like that in the beginning.

I thought about what happened and about my leaving and then something dawned on me. Zero had just came back from a very long and, probably, very tense mission. Wasn't he supposed to take some time off to decompress?

"Ranger, what's the policy for when guys return from being 'in the wind'?" Ranger looked at me intently.

"Two weeks off-line is standard procedure. Most guys go to their 'homes' that are scattered around the country. Some stay around here, but we keep a close eye on them. When they come back, they have a lot of tension and adrenaline." Realization dawned in his eyes. He knew that something was wrong with Zero.

"So Noah coming back and getting tossed into a crazy family life probably wasn't good?" Ranger shook his head and looked ashamed. "We went to see Shelly while we were in California. I'm sure dealing with his best friends death again wasn't all that therapeutic either." Ranger shook his head again.

"If I can get him to admit that the mission is the root of his problems, will you give him another two weeks off? Can he take some time to get himself together?"

"Absolutely. I'm ashamed that I didn't catch on sooner. I'm sorry, Babe." I waved off his apology, it wasn't his fault.

"Thank you. I'm still terrified that he's going to tell me to take a hike. I'm afraid that I've done too much damage to our relationship." I wiped a tear from my face.

"Cupcake, **you **didn't do anything. This is all on him. You can't feel guilty for anything." AJ stirred in Ranger's arms looking for some food.

"Let me take him to the office and feed him. I need some time to think." I took AJ from Ranger and headed toward the office.

"I'll have Tank get him a ticket to California and Ella will pack his bag. Let him talk when the time comes, Babe. Don't run in the beginning." Ranger's words followed me as I walked into his private office. I sat in the comfortable couch and fed AJ. I thought about everything that had happened and knew that I wanted to make my relationship work with Zero. I didn't want to give up, but my mind was racing with my fears. Fears that he wasn't going to be willing to fight for us. Fears that told me that I wasn't good enough for him. We all have insecurities, some people can just hide them better than others. At that moment, mine weren't hidden. They were exposed and they were raw.

I sat quietly in the office even though AJ was done eating. I wasn't ready to see anyone. When I finally walked out of the office, I knew Zero was there. I could sense him but I wasn't ready to see him. I was afraid he would be able to read all of my fears. When I finally looked at him, the sight of his bruised body broke my heart. If he wasn't going to leave me in the beginning, he surely would then. I was the reason that he got the shit beat out of him.

I was so glad when Ranger offered to take AJ so we could talk. I didn't really want to be dumped in public and that's what was going to happen, I was positive. The minute I realized that he wasn't going to leave me, the instant relief that flooded me almost knocked me to the floor. We had a long way to go and I wanted to do everything in my power to make it work.

That's why I suggested the two-week separation. He needed time to get everything worked out in his head and I needed sometime too. I wanted to get my heart and head on straight, too. We both jumped into this relationship and didn't even think about how it would change us. I wasn't backing out, just taking time to think about what was best for me and my son.

I spent the two weeks either at the apartment with AJ or at RangeMan, working. I started doing searches and loved being around the guys. I was never in need of a babysitter. AJ got to watch the monitors with Cal and then got to help Les and Bobby stock the medical suite. I was constantly having to go to the monitors to find out who had him and where they were in the building. I trusted the guys so I wasn't too worried.

The day that I found AJ and Ranger asleep on the couch in his office was the sweetest. Ranger was spread out on the too little piece of furniture with my tiny son curled up on his chest. Both of them sound asleep. I snuck a picture on my cell phone so I would always have it.

Zero and I talked about me working for RangeMan and he supported whatever I wanted to do. I didn't want to roll in garbage or get hurt anymore, so I took a full-time position. I knew that would mean eating better and exercising along with gun range time, but it was past time that I took better care of myself. I had two people counting on me to be around for a long time. I didn't want to let either of them down. My first 'official' day as a full-time RangeMan was scheduled for the day after Zero returned from California. I begged to put it off another day, but Ranger just laughed and told me that I better not be late on my first day. Stupid slave driver of a boss. Didn't he know that I wasn't going to get an ounce of sleep the night before my first day.

My doctor's appointment was the day before Zero returned. He released me from my restrictions and gave me a birth control shot. I wasn't ready for more kids and I didn't want to deal with pills or condoms. I also didn't want anything between us the next time we came together. I made arrangements with my parents to keep AJ the night Zero returned. We would both meet him at the plane when he landed at 1700, but our first stop would be my parents to drop off AJ. Then Zero and I would lock ourselves away in our apartment. That's right...**our **apartment.

During one of our many phone conversations, Zero agreed to finally move in with me. We both agreed that it made the most sense. We didn't want to spend another night apart. My apartment was bigger and had the nursery for AJ. The guys cleaned out his RangeMan apartment and moved everything to my place. I already had his stuff put away and waiting for him to get home.

The day of Zero's return, I packed AJ's stuff up and got him locked into his seat and walked down to my new SUV. Ranger thought it was safer than my old car so he called it a 'perk' of working for him full-time. Most guys drove Explorers. Ranger bought me a Navigator. He claimed it was because I needed room for AJ and his stuff. Arguing with him was pointless, so I just thanked him. AJ seemed to really like our new ride. I got AJ buckled and drove toward the air strip that started this whole mess two weeks ago. I was ready to see my fiancé again. I was ready to start our lives together.

I was waiting in the warm SUV as I watched the plane land and park close to where my vehicle sat. The stairs came down and off stepped the love of my life. He was smiling and looking at the black SUV. He didn't know it was me waiting for him. The second he was close enough to the SUV I opened my door and launched myself at him.

He must have suspected something because I didn't knock him down. Instead he crushed his arms around me, pulling me tight into his hard body and kissed my lips hungrily. His tongue traced my lips and I opened my mouth with a moan. My panties were instantly ruined and I was past ready for him to be inside me. Unfortunately we had to drop off AJ at my parents and then drive home. Sigh.

"It's so good too finally see you, Breá. I can't tell you what it's like to hold you again." His voice was husky and full of desire and it sent shivers throughout my body.

"It's good to see you too. I missed you." I kissed his ear and felt him shudder. Ha! Payback!

"I missed you, more. Where's my big guy? I missed him too." He released me from his hug, but kept me tucked into his side as we walked to the SUV. Zero climbed into the middle seat and kissed AJ. He spent a few minutes talking to his son before climbing back out and getting into the front passenger seat.

"We're dropping AJ off at my parents for the night. Is that okay?" I glanced at Zero in the passenger seat and his eyes turned dark.

"And why's that, my love?" His finger trailed down my hairline and jaw.

"I have plans for you tonight." My sex kitten voice came out to play and he got the implication. The crotch of his pants looked a little tighter than it had earlier.

I drove us to my parents house and Zero stayed in the car while I took AJ inside. We thought it would be quicker that way. I had plans, and they didn't involve my parents and grandma. When I got back into the SUV, the look of hunger in Zero's eyes made my breath catch in my throat. He looked about ready to devour me and I was going to let him.

"How quick can you get us home?" He leaned over and kissed my neck. All I could do was whimper in response. He chuckled and spoke. His breath tickled my exposed skin.

"That slow, huh? Is there any place closer? I'm not sure I can wait, Breá." He was kissing his way across my jaw and then his lips met mine. The fire in my blood boiled and spread straight to my stomach and nether region. I knew exactly where we could go. I pulled away from his kiss to get my bearings.

"Hold on, Baby." He looked shocked but sat back in his seat as I hit the accelerator.

Growing up in the Burg was a blessing that day. I knew the park a few blocks over from my parent's house was abandoned and was the perfect place to park for a few minutes. It was on the end of dead-end street and no cars ever ventured there anymore. It's where my high school boyfriends and I would go to make-out.

I got us there and parked the SUV in a matter of minutes. Once I slammed the SUV in park, my seatbelt was ripped off and I was hauled across the vehicle into my fiancé's waiting lap. Our lips crashed together and our hands became frantic. It had been too damn long for both of us. The first time was going to be fast and frantic, but we had all night for slow and tender.

Zero ripped my shirt off and attacked my breasts with his hands. He pinched and rolled my nipples through the fabric of my bra. God, how I missed his touch. My hands removed his shirt and I was treated to the gorgeous skin that stretched across his chest. My tongue tasted every inch of that skin and my hands were working the button on his pants while his were rubbing my bare ass. I thought ahead that day and wore a skirt. Am I smart or what.

Once I got Zero's pants pulled down enough to release his erection, my hands began stroking him and I watched as he threw his head back and let out a growl.

"Please don't, baby. I'm going to cum if you keep that up and I want to be inside you when that happens." I understood, so I stopped stroking him and went to the task of removing my thong. I guess I wasn't fast enough, because Zero lost patience and ripped them off my body. That sent a fresh gush of warmth to my core and I could tell I was beyond ready for him. His finger stroked my soaked lower lips and slowly entered me. Just one finger felt amazing but I wanted more. I wanted to feel him.

"You are so wet, my love. Is this all because of me?" I whimpered again as he added another finger and began to stroke in and out of my soaking wet hole. His thumb found my clit and began to massage it in time with his fingers.

The sensations he was causing inside of me were amazing, but I seriously needed to cum. I could feel his hardness pulsing under me and knew that he needed it too.

"Please make me cum, baby. I can't take it anymore." I whispered into his ear as I licked the shell and then down his neck.

He growled and removed his fingers and positioned his cock at my entrance but stopped before pushing in.

"Do I need to put something on?" I shook my head. I took care of that at the doctor yesterday. "Birth control shots every three months. We're covered." He growled again and slowly pushed inside of me. It had been too damn long so the second he was fully inside of me, I came. He held me as I screamed his name and somehow kept his control as my walls clenched around his cock.

"You are so fucking beautiful when you cum." Zero kissed me and I whimpered again. "Let's see it again." With that, he started moving me on his erection, guiding my hips up and down on him.

With every thrust he touched places that had been long neglected. The head of his cock would touch my womb and then he would guide me up and almost all the way out before slowly lowering me back it. It was so tender and loving that it brought tears to my eyes. I let him guide me and keep the slow pace for a while, letting our orgasms build to new heights.

When I had enough and knew that he was close too, I started moving faster on his throbbing dick. I clenched my walls as I sunk down on him and felt him groan.

"Fuck, baby. You ready to cum with me?" He was close to losing control and I was ready for him.

"Fuck yes." That was all I said. He grabbed my waist and began thrusting in and out of me with wild abandonment. It didn't take long for him to send me flying over the edge in an intense climax. Feeling my walls tighten around him caused him to join me in our mutual release. I felt his seed spill inside me and heard my name come out of his mouth on a loud growl.

All that could be heard in the SUV after that was our raspy breathing with a few, 'holy fucks' thrown in from both of us. I'm not sure how long we stayed joined together in the passenger seat of the SUV, but I honestly didn't want to move. It felt to damn good to be here with him like that. It felt just like home.

A car pulling up behind us broke our dazed stupor and propelled us into action. I barely had my shirt back on and I was still sitting in Zero's lap when there was a tap on the passenger side window. Zero's cock was still inside me, but he at least had his shirt on. My skirt covered enough so he rolled down the window.

Joe was smirking on the other side of the window. Fuck me!

"You realize that there's no parking here." He was using his cop voice, but his eyes were laughing and he couldn't lose the smirk.

"Fuck Joe. Give me a ticket and let me get back to having sex with my fiancé." I was pissed. He knew that it was me, and he was just busting my balls - metaphorically speaking of course. He laughed out loud.

"Nah. Warning will be enough for you two love birds." Zero looked relieved and laughed along with Joe. I didn't find this funny so I refused to laugh with them.

"Welcome home. I'm glad you two are working out your frustrations in a more productive way." Joe chuckled again.

"Thanks, officer. I'll be sure we get home before anymore frustrations get worked out. You know how women can be, sometimes." I smacked his chest as Zero spoke between laughs. God, men could be such jerks.

"Sounds good. You two have fun tonight." Joe turned to walk away but stopped.

"Oh, Ranger wanted me to tell you two that Les won the pool. Most of the guys thought you would at least make it out of the Burg. You have a good memory, Cupcake. You've used this place before." I heard him laugh as he walked back to his car. I rolled my eyes and climbed off Zero's lap into the driver's seat.

Zero got his pants pulled back up and I sent a group text to Ranger and the guys.

_'You fuckers are going to catch hell when I get into work tomorrow. You know much I hate bets against me. BTW...congrats, Les.'_

I turned my phone off and drove us to the apartment. I still had an entire night of plans for my fiancé and I didn't want to waste another second. I didn't want to spend time thinking about stupid men and their stupid bets.

Once Zero and I were locked behind our apartment door, we let loose and spent the rest of the night making each other scream. We would pass out from sheer exhaustion only to wake a few hours later reaching for each other. I lost count of the number of orgasms that I had that night. I was exhausted the next morning, but I had to get up to make it to work on time. Zero wasn't scheduled to go back until the next day, so he was taking care of AJ for me while I worked.

I left bottles in the fridge and my exhausted fiancé passed out in bed. I hopped into my SUV and headed to the office. All the guys were surprised to see me stroll into the gym at 0700, but I made a promise to Ranger to follow all of his rules, so gym time was a must.

After my workout, I showered and dressed in Ranger's apartment. He was already in the office, so I didn't have to worry about him being there. Not that I would worry about that. I was at my desk ready to work at 0900. Right on time. I had a pile of searches to work through so I got busy and fell into my zone of computer work.

Zero called at 1000 to let me know that he picked up AJ and they were headed to the mall for some Christmas shopping. I rolled my eyes at that thought. Christmas was coming soon and I hadn't done any shopping. I would worry about it later though.

My first day back at the office went off smoothly. The guys stopped by to officially welcome me back but they didn't linger long at my desk. I was able to work through all the search requests and I was returning them to the guys before I left. The last delivery was a stack for Ranger so I headed toward his office.

His door was open and he was sitting behind his desk staring at the computer. He was lost in thought because he didn't even notice I was standing there.

"I know you're there, Babe. I was just finishing this contract." His eyes met mine and he smiled at me. I rolled my eyes and dropped the files on his desk.

"The searches you requested." His eyes got big and he skimmed the files I brought him.

"Good work. I knew you'd be good at this job." I smiled and turned to walk out his door but was stopped by his voice.

"I'm proud of you, Babe. You've done more today than I thought you would." I turned and gave him a big smile.

"Thanks for the opportunity Ranger. I think I'm going to love this job." He smiled at me again and I exited his office. I wanted to get home to my guys.

I found my guys both sound asleep on the couch when I walked into the living room. It was the same position that I found Ranger and AJ in just last week, but seeing Zero and our son sleeping this way brought tears to eyes. I, again, took a picture with my cell phone and let them sleep while I took a shower.

I was just about done washing my hair when the door opened and Zero stepped in behind me. Holy hot flash. The bathroom was full of steam and not because of the hot water.

"Why didn't you wake me up? You know how good I am in the shower." He nuzzled my neck and his hands wrapped around me and played with my breasts.

"Where's AJ?" I didn't want him left awake and crying while we had sex in the shower.

"Sleeping in his crib. He just fell asleep about forty minutes ago, so he'll be asleep for a while." He kept kissing my neck and his hands were doing wonderful things to the front of me. I could feel his growing erection pressed into my butt and wanted that inside me.

I've never liked having sex in that position, but I trusted Zero so I bent slightly and pressed my ass further into his cock. His breath caught in his throat and he groaned.

"You sure, baby?" He knew my hesitations and wanted to make sure I was comfortable. I loved him more for asking and not just plunging ahead.

"Very sure." I moaned out as his fingers found my slick folds. Zero's hands pushed me down further and I braced my hands on the shower wall. He positioned his head at my entrance and grabbed my hips as he slid home.

God, it felt so good. It was unlike anything I've ever felt. I could feel every inch of him and cursed to myself that I didn't try this position earlier. Zero's slow pace was driving me crazy. His hands where gripping my hips hard enough to leave bruises, but I didn't care. He was holding on to his control and I wanted him to lose it.

"Fuck me harder, Noah. Make me scream." I heard his growl of agreement and his hips sped up their pace. His cock was slamming into me and with one flick of his finger on my clit, he sent me flying off in an intense orgasm.

I asked him to make me scream, and scream I did. I felt my inner walls milking his cock as he spilled his hot cum into me. When I knew he was empty, I pulled myself from him and stood up straight. I turned around and kissed him deeply.

"Let's get clean and eat some dinner." He chuckled and helped me wash every inch of my body. I, in turn, helped him clean his gorgeous body. As I was washing the expanse of his muscled chest, I saw some new ink that I hadn't noticed last night.

Under the Chinese letters above his heart are some more that weren't there before. I rubbed my fingers over them and raised my eyebrows at him.

"I got that done in Cali." Like that was enough to curb by curiosity.

"What does it say?" He smiled and pulled me into a heated kiss.

"It says, 'My loves, my life' and then your name and AJ's name." I ran my fingers over the ink and kissed it lightly.

"You're both my life too." He smiled and kissed me before turning off the water. Guess shower time was over. That's okay, we could pick up later in bed.

As I watched Zero dry off and cover his body, I caught another glimpse of the tattoo over his heart. I couldn't agree with the words more. Zero and AJ are both my loves and my life. I couldn't ask for anything more.

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A/N - So there you have it. The HEA is here and done. We've only got the epilogue left and this story is over. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Let me know. : )


	22. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **Characters aren't mine and I have finally finished playing with them. It's been a fun journey, but it's time for them to go back to their rightful owner.

THANK YOU all so much for reading and reviewing! I truly hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Unfortunately, Zero and Steph's love story ends here.

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**Epilogue**

SPOV - 24 years later

"I want you to have these." I handed Maggie the small box. "I wore them on my wedding day to Noah as did several generations of women who married the Allen's of the Wilson family." Her eyes filled with tears as she saw the string of pearls.

"How old are these? They're beautiful." Her finger ran over the strand.

"I'm not entirely sure. You'll have to ask AJ's grandma, Mary. She and Melody gave them to me before I married Noah and now they belong to you." She hugged me and wiped her tears off her face.

"You know what this means don't you?" I asked and she pulled away and looked at me puzzled.

"Your first son has to named Allen and then his soon to be wife will get these pearls." Her eyes got wide and more tears fell.

"It would be my honor to wear these and pass them on. Thank you." I wiped the tears off her beautiful face and smiled at her. She looked just like her father and I missed him terribly.

Margaret Annabella Morelli was born eight months after her future husband. They practically grew up together since Joe and I were so close. Joe was shot and killed one day when Maggie was thirteen. It broke her heart when her dad died and AJ was beside her from that day forward. I knew then that they would always be together. He comforted her like her father use to comfort me.

In just a few hours, Maggie Morelli would marry my son and I was ecstatic about it. I loved her just like Noah's mom's loved me. I included her in our family long before her and AJ officially got together. She fit right in with the rest of us.

Noah and I married in a private ceremony the Halloween after AJ was born. He was a year old and quite a handful, but we loved him. AJ's brother and sister were born ten months after our wedding. Addison Grace came first screaming just like I was and then Aidan Carlos came calmly seven minutes later. They were supposed to be our last, but God felt we needed an oops baby.

A month after Joe was shot, I found out I was pregnant. Alexander Joseph was born and even though he was oops, he's well-loved. Addy and I are outnumbered by males, but we love it. She's daddies little angel and is adored by her brothers.

I sat in the church looking at our family and friends and thanked God that I was here. There was no other place in the world that I wanted to be than right here, surrounded by people who I love.

Ranger was sitting a few rows back with his newest girlfriend, Holly. He's never settled down and I don't think he ever will. He's happy just the way he is, so I'm happy for him. I shot him a smile when he caught me looking at him. No matter how old he is, he is one sexy man. He must have read my thoughts because his wolf grin appeared and he winked at me.

The rest of the Marry Men were scattered throughout the church with their girlfriends and wives. Most of the guys refuse to marry and continue to play the women of Trenton. Bobby married a doctor and they have three children. Surprisingly, Cal is married with four kids. Number five is on the way and they have no plans of stopping.

Karen and her new husband are sitting in the pew across the aisle. I know she misses Joe every day, especially days like this; but she's been able to move on with Bill. They don't have any kids together and Maggie was her and Joe's only child.

Both sets of Zero's parents were in the pew behind me. His brother and wife were there too as were their three younger kids. Like us, they had an oops but it was a triple oops. Harmony about died when she found out.

My parents both died about four years ago in a car accident. I miss them and my grandma daily. She passed away several years ago, but she went in a blaze of glory. She would have been proud of the press her funeral caused.

The music started to play and I watched my daughter walk down the aisle. She was a bridesmaid and was absolutely beautiful. Her boyfriend couldn't take his eyes off of her. His father, Lester, slapped him on the back of the head when he caught his leering.

Neither Zero or I was happy when she brought home Mateo Santos as her boyfriend. Les never married and the boy's mom left him with Les when she took off to strip in Vegas. Les raised him and remained single. He told me that I was the only woman that he would give up his player lifestyle for. Luckily we found out that his son was nothing like him. He was a really good kid and would soon be taking over RangeMan Boston. I knew Addy would follow him there. Call it a mother's intuition, but I smelled another wedding soon.

The maid of honor walked down the aisle and made her way to the front of the church. The music changed and we all stood to watch the bride and she was breathtaking.

Her dark hair was styled up with a few strands framing her face under the long veil. The black pearls held a place of honor around her neck and I felt Mary and Melody both squeeze my shoulders when they noticed. I made a promise to them and I always keep my word.

As beautiful as the bride was, I couldn't take my eyes off the man walking her down the aisle. After Joe died, AJ and Maggie became inseparable so she was always at the house. Noah treated her like his own daughter so when the time came for the wedding, she asked him to walk her down the aisle. I think Karen and Bill were both upset at her choice, but they never said anything to her. I was thankful for that. Joe Morelli was a hard man to replace in his daughter's life, but somehow Noah filled that void in her life.

Even after all of these years, my husband was still a damn sexy man. The years have added a few wrinkles and his hair is lighter, but he still takes my breath away with his crooked smile and he still has the ability to turn me to mush with one touch. Our life together wasn't perfect. We're both human and we both made mistakes. We argued at times, but we never stayed angry for long and we ALWAYS made up. Our love for each other only grew stronger over the years. He truly is the love of my life.

I watched intently as he passed off the bride to our son and then walk back to where I was sitting. He put his arm around me and kissed my temple while pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket. He knows me so well. It was hard to watch my first-born get married. It seemed just like yesterday that we both were driving back to Trenton with Ranger. I have no clue where the last twenty-four years went.

I watched with tears in my eyes as the couple said their vows and I let the tears fall when the minister announced them husband and wife. I cheered when AJ finally kissed his wife. I was truly happy for them. If they had half of the love for each other that I had for the man beside me, then they had enough to last them a lifetime.

That's what I wished for them. A lifetime of the happiness that I've had over the years. A lifetime full of comfort, respect, desire, passion, and honesty. A lifetime full of love.

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A/N - Short epilogue, I know, but I think it wraps everything up nicely. Thank you for joining me on this incredible journey. I'm going to miss the characters, but who know...maybe we'll see them again...someday. : )


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